Just Once
by edwardcullenrox6201901
Summary: Bella goes to a party and becomes drunk because the drinks were spiked. The next morning, she realizes that she slept with a stranger. Later she finds out that she's pregnant...and that the 'stranger' is her future stepbrother. All-Human
1. Persuasion

"No."

"Please???"

"No."

"Pretty please???"

"Dammit, Alice. No matter how many times you ask me, my answer will not change. I hate parties, and I'm not going to yours." I sighed exasperatedly. My best friend, Alice Brandon, was determined to get me to go to an end of the year party at her house this coming Saturday. I was determined not to go.

"Come on, Bella, it really will be fun."

"Fun for you, maybe, but not for me."

"Bella, this party could make you really popular, you know, like me." And it was true. Alice was really popular.

"What if I don't want to be popular?" I challenged.

"Please, Bella!" Alice pleaded. "I feel like we don't do enough things together anymore. Since I'm all busy with Jasper and all." Her face lit up, as if an idea suddenly struck her. "I got it! You come to my party, and we'll set you up with a really hot guy. Then we can double all the time. It will be perfect!"

"Alice, I don't recall saying that I would come to your party." She immediately gave me such a hurt look that I felt guilty.

"OK, fine. I'll come."

"Yay!!! Bella, we'll have so much fun! Oh my god, we should go shopping tomorrow, and get you something gorgeous to wear. Wait, I think I'm gonna need some decorations and some pizza and some soda. Well, we can take care of that later. Right now, the main concern is your dress and accessories. But you'll help me set up, right??? I really hope that..."

Her voice just faded away, as I thought about her party with much trepidation. Why did I even agree to go? I knew that I hated these kinds of parties, and so did Alice. I didn't even care about looks or boys all that much. I suppose that was why I wasn't popular. I mean, here in Phoenix, that was all that high school girls had learned to care for. A sharp voice interrupted my thoughts.

"_Isabella Marie Swan_, are you even listening to me?!"

Wonderful.

-+-+-+-

The next day, Alice drove me to the shopping mall, and pulled me to the most expensive dress store imaginable.

"Alice," I said hesitantly. "I'm not sure if I can afford any of this."

"Relax," she said breezily. "This is your birthday gift."

"My birthday's not until September," I reminded her.

"It's an _early_ birthday present," she told me, rolling her eyes. I swear, that girl can be really annoying sometimes. "What do you think of this one?" she asked me, holding up a skimpy dress that would only just cover my butt, skinny as I was.

I checked the price tag. "Alice, this is a rip-off. It has barely any fabric on it, and they're charging you more than two hundred dollars."

"It's _designer_," she replied, talking as if she was stating the obvious.

"It's not worth it," I answered.

"Yes, it is," she argued. "Go try it on."

Even though I protested, Alice refused to let me even look at another dress until I went to the changing rooms. After locking myself securely in one of the cubicles, I changed out of my jeans and t-shirt, and put on the dress.

Alice was banging on the door. "Are you done changing yet? How does it look?" she yelled through the wood.

I opened the door, covering myself with my arms self-consciously.

"Grow up, Bella," Alice told me, as she pushed my arms away from my body. As soon as she succeeded, she gasped.

"I know, it looks horrible, right." I was about to go back into the changing room, but Alice stopped me.

"You look perfect," she said.

"Yeah, right."

Alice seemed to have recovered. "Ask anyone's opinion, and they will tell you the same thing. You look great."

I rolled my eyes, but walked out into the store, anyway. A group of boys saw me through the glass and whistled appreciatively.

"See what I mean?" Alice told me.

"Alice, what will your parents think when they see me wearing this?" I asked in a desperate attempt to stop her from buying the dress. "Don't they know me as a good, hardworking girl, not a stripper?"

"Yes, they do. But don't worry about your reputation. They're going to be out of town all weekend, so they won't even see you wearing that."

"What! Alice, I already told Mom that your parents would be at the party. You know I don't like lying."

"Well, technically, that's not lying, because you thought that it was true at the time. And you don't like lying because you're no good at it."

And that was the end of the conversation. Alice bought me the dress, as well as some stilettos, and told me that she'd keep the dress at her house until it was time to get ready for the party. Although she was excited, I couldn't help but feel a bit worried. I would know a lot of people at this party. What would they think of me?

**A/N: This is the first story I'm posting on Fanfiction. I have a few others that I'll post in due course...Anyway, please review--I find it very encouraging. Any kind of feedback--positive, negative--is encouraged, accepted, and appreciated. Suggestions, theories, opinions, etc...Reviews inspire me, and I often take suggestions or theories into consideration when I write. Additionally, I like the fact that people take time out of their schedule to respond to my work, so I always reply to all of my reviews. If yo have any questions, you can be sure that they will be answered. Now that you know the way I work, I'm asking you to please submt a review. Your reactions, opinions, and ideas really mean a lot to me. :)**

**~~SM**


	2. Ready

CHAPTER TWO: Ready

I packed a change of clothes, some pajamas, and a toothbrush in my bag. After the party, I would spend the night at Alice's house, and would return home the following day. Although Esme seemed pretty excited at the thought of having me out of the house for the entire evening and part of the next day, she wouldn't say anything when I questioned her. I was very suspicious.

"Mom, do you, like, have a date tonight or something?" Ever since Dad died, she had become very quiet, turning to her interior decorating job more and more. Even though she claimed to be happy, I could see that her life was more empty than all of my friends' moms' lives, and I was happy that she was finally moving on.

"No, what would make you say that?" she giggled. She totally had a date.

"Who is he? Anyone I know?" I questioned.

"Aren't you getting late for Alice's party?" she asked me, changing the subject. "Get your bag; I'll drive you." Once we were both seated in the car, she put in her favorite CD and turned it up too loud to allow conversation. At Alice's house, she just waved and drove off, without another word. Who was this guy anyway? I had fully expected Mom to give me the sex talk at least a million times before I went to the party. She did that before I went to any other parties. This time, she didn't say anything.

-+-+-+-

"Stand still, Bella!" Alice complained while she was adjusting the dress, putting on makeup, and curling my normally pin-straight hair.

"Alice! You've been doing this for two hours and forty-five minutes!"

"You want to look good, don't you?" She adjusted my hair so that some of it was in front of my shoulders and some of it was behind. "There. You look perfect." She moved me in front of the mirror. "What do you think?"

I was wearing the stripper outfit, as I'd come to call it, with a long row of beautiful curls running down my back. A few wisps of hair stayed in the front, framing my face. "I like the hair, but Alice! Couldn't you have found a better dress?"

"Nope. That was the best dress in the store."

"Then why didn't you wear it?"

"Jasper wants me to wear more modest clothing."

"Funny—you'd think he'd want the opposite."

"He doesn't want any guy to see how I look, except for him." I was about to answer, but then the full implications of the sentence hit me.

"Wait a second. Holy crap!!! Alice, you slept with Jasper! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well," she said, looking guilty, "I know that you've never done anything of that sort, and I didn't want you to feel bad."

I rolled my eyes. "Alice, I don't want a boyfriend, so you can stop worrying about that, alright."

She nodded. Then, she seemed to remember something. "Hold on, I left your purse in my closet." She rushed into her enormous closet, which was at least twice as big as her room, and returned with a tiny beaded bag.

"It's beautiful, Alice."

"Oh, and I stocked it with everything you could possibly need tonight," she added as an afterthought.

Curious, I opened the tiny bag and examined everything inside. Some lip gloss, a comb, some breath mints, a band-aid, a—was that what I thought it was?!

"Alice!!! Why is there a condom in my _purse_! You can't possibly think that I'd want to use this tonight!"

She seemed unaffected by my outburst. "No, you obviously wouldn't _want_ to use that. Believe me, it's a lot more pleasant when you're on the birth control pill, and you don't have to worry about those kinds of things. However, since you're not on the pill, you kind of need that."

"_Alice_!"

"I'm just being realistic. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go get ready."

With that, Alice walked into her bathroom, holding a floor-length, modest, black dress—the complete opposite of mine, as well as some silver heels. Half-an-hour later, she came out not only wearing the dress and the shoes, but like ten pounds of makeup. She walked over to her dressing table, and pulled out her jewelry box. She wore a simple silver chain, some silver bracelets, and some black earrings.

"Alice, why didn't you give me any jewelry?" I asked curiously. Alice would never forget anything as vital as jewelry. Well it was vital to her, at least.

"You didn't think I'd forgotten, did you?" Alice replied. "Alice Brandon never forgets anything. You're not wearing any jewelry, because that would distract people from the dress."

"There's nothing wrong with that," I insisted.

"No jewelry for you," Alice said firmly.

I sighed. "Fine."

"The party starts in another hour!" Alice sang happily.

Just perfect, all right.

**A/N: So what do you think????? Please review...it really motivates me to update faster...*hintt* Do you have any predictions...comments...theories....etc????? I love to get ideas, even though I have about 10 chapters written already....**


	3. Stranger

I squeezed through the crowd of dancing people. As it turned out, I didn't have to worry much about my reputation; I didn't know half of the people here. Apparently Alice had given out invitations to every teenager she had met over the past two months. One to the clerk at the supermarket, one to the pizza delivery boy, one to the math teacher's daughter, and so on. It was kind of weird to have guys (and some girls), whom I didn't even know, trying to catch my eye. Typically, whenever this happened, I would blush and hurry away.

Right now, I was trying to escape just that. A hot, and I mean _hot_ guy, with the most gorgeous bronze-colored hair, had seen me...and maybe done more than see...

-+-+-+-

(A few minutes earlier)

"You're kind of gorgeous, you know that?" someone said. I ignored it. It was kind of obvious that they weren't talking to me. I looked like a stripper. "Hello?" said that same voice, tapping on my back. "I just complimented you, and you ignored it. I said that you look gorgeous."

I looked up, and was confronted by an amazing scent and the most perfect face I had ever seen in my seventeen years. I had never heard of any cologne ever smelling that good, or anyone's face ever looking that great. I inhaled again, and lost my balance. The guy caught me effortlessly. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked, sounding concerned. Great. Now he thought I had some weird disability that prevented me from talking or standing up straight. I looked up again, and saw him staring at me. Come on, Bella, think of something.

"Um...I'm sorry." Sorry for what? _Think_, Bella! "These stilettos have been driving me crazy all night. It's really hard to walk without stumbling, and they hurt," I complained.

He looked down at my leg, staring a bit longer than necessary, and chuckled. "Why did you wear them, then?"

"Alice wouldn't let me wear anything less. She insists on dressing me, like I'm her personal, life-size Barbie doll."

"Alice?" he questioned.

I sighed. This was probably another one of Alice's random invites. "Alice is the one who's throwing the party. This is her house. Unfortunately, she's my best friend, and she talked me into coming by giving me the old guilt story. Still, that wasn't enough for her. She made me wear this dress, put on these shoes, carry this purse, and she styled my hair, too. According to her, I have no fashion sense."

He seemed amused. "So you don't like parties, then?"

"Not at all."

"Well, maybe you should tell Alice that. And that you don't like the dress or the shoes. Maybe you would like parties if you could wear something more to your taste."

I liked this guy. "Maybe I should," I agreed, "but I don't think that would work too well."

"Why not?" he asked.

"I'm not the confrontation kind of person. I'm more the 'suffer in silence' type."

He smiled. "Well I can think of some silence that you might like."

What? That didn't make any sense. At least it didn't, until I saw him lean forward. His fingers softly cradled my face, and he breathed softly on my lips, until they pressed against mine softly. It was the most amazing feeling in the world. I felt as if all of my worries and fears disappeared, until there was nothing left, but me and this perfect guy.

That was when it hit me. I was at a party, making out with some guy, and I didn't even know his name. This was wrong. I pulled away. His face looked hurt. "I'm sorry. I have to go," I whispered, and hurried away, through the crowd.

(End of Flashback)

-+-+-+-

I finally found Alice. She was dancing with Jasper, in the middle of the dance floor. "Alice, I need to talk to you," I said urgently.

"Hold on, Bella. This is my favorite song."

"But Alice!" I pleaded. "This is important."

"All right, Bella!" she replied, obviously disgruntled. "Where do you want to talk?"

I led her to a spot by the refreshments table. Everyone was either drinking soda or dancing, so the area between the dance floor and the table was empty.

"Alice, who is the guy over there?" I asked, pointing to the gorgeous boy who had kissed me.

"Um...I don't know. I saw him driving this great car, an Aston Martin Vanquish, and he was totally hot, so I had to give him an invitation. He told me that he could come."

"Do you know anything about this guy, other than his appearance and his car?"

"Well, he told me that he was new to the area. Apparently his father was a doctor in California. The hospital he was working at was renovating, and this interior decorator from over here went over there to help work on the project. Then, this unfinished piece of wood hit her arm, and it left a pretty big cut. She needed to get stitches, and so his dad met her. They hit it off, and they started dating. Apparently, he was kind of apprehensive, because his parents died a couple years ago, and he was adopted by this new dad. However, his dad's girlfriend ate dinner with him and his dad one night, and he liked her. Now, the doctor and this decorator have plans to get married, so they're going to move here, so apparently, he's just checking out the area."

"And you managed to discuss all this without knowing his name?"

"He might have mentioned it, but I don't think I was paying attention. "

"You still were able to notice all this?"

"This is a romance story, Bella! You know how much I love love." I rolled my eyes.

"Wait a second!" Alice seemed to be having an epiphany. "Why are you so interested in this guy?"

Crap! I was hoping she wouldn't pick up on that. "Um, well, he kissed me."

Alice was speechless. "Oh my _God_! Bella, your first kiss! I knew that dress was perfect!"

Now _I_ was speechless. "It had nothing to do with the dress," I said coldly. "We talked for a bit before the kiss, and he really liked me, I _think_." Then I walked away, towards the refreshments, and poured myself a glass of Coke. It tasted funny. After a few more sips, though, I started to like it, and I kept having more.

Alice had found me by now. "Bella! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you angry."

I just nodded. I didn't care about much at the moment.

"Bella, you look funny," she said, taking my Coke from my hands. After sniffing it, she poured some into a cup for herself. When she took a sip, she made a face.

"Some idiot spiked the drinks," she complained. Even in my drunken state, I could tell that she was upset that someone had messed up her party. "Don't have any more of this, Bella," she instructed. "Get some water from the kitchen sink."

I didn't answer. I was feeling a little dizzy, and focused on calming myself down. Alice looked at me, and gasped. "Bella, you look terrible. How many glasses did you have?" I still couldn't understand her. The floor seemed to be spinning. Alice was starting to look scared. "Jasper!" she called. I could see Jasper's blond head moving through the crowd.

"What's wrong, Alice?" he asked.

"Help me take Bella to my room. She needs to sleep. Someone spiked the drinks, and I don't know how much she had. She can barely stand up straight."

"Um...Alice...that might be the heels," Jasper pointed out.

"No time for jokes now, Jazz, please help me."

He eyed me doubtfully, and said, "Alice, your staircase is huge. I think that Emmett should help me, not you."

Alice nodded. She disappeared into the crowd, returning with a beautiful blonde. "What are you doing?" she said.

"Rose?" Jasper asked. "What are you doing here?" I recognized that name. Rosalie was Jasper's sister. She never had much tolerance for me, because I never fit into the "popular" category.

"I was sitting down, and then Alice came in and dragged me over here, without as much as a 'hello'," Rosalie said angrily. "What's up?"

"Alice, I asked for Emmett, not Rosalie," Jasper said.

"I know," she replied. "But Rosalie and Emmett are always together, and I knew that if I brought Rosalie here, Emmett would follow soon." She pointed out a hulking figure parting the crowd. "Look. There he is."

"Rosalie, weren't you sitting in the living room when I left?" Emmett asked.

"Before I was rudely removed by Alice," Rosalie replied.

"Em, come on," Jasper said. "We have to take Bella to Alice's room."

"Why?" Emmett asked.

"We'll explain, later," Alice interrupted. "Hurry up."

I was vaguely aware of two pairs of arms steering me to the huge staircase, and then leading me up the stairs as gently as they could. Eventually, I was aware of a door being opened. Soon after, I felt myself being lowered onto some soft silk sheets.

"Sleep well, Bella," Alice's whispered. Her voice seemed very far away. I drifted off into unconsciousness with a smile on my face.

-+-+-+-

"Are you okay?" that musical, velvety voice asked me. Even in my drowsy state, I could tell that it belonged to the mystery guy.

"What are you doing here?" I mumbled.

"I saw those two huge guys carrying you up here, and those two girls following. What's going on?"

"I was walking. Emmett and Jasper were just helping me." I was barely coherent.

"Yeah, helping you to the point where you weren't even carrying your own weight. In my opinion, that is being carried. But, seriously, what happened?"

"I really don't know," I replied, doing my best to sound coherent. "I was just tired." For some reason, impressing this guy was starting to mean a lot to me. I suppose it had something to do with the fact that he was unbelievably gorgeous. Bringing up the memory of him talking to me downstairs, I mentally swooned over his appearance. I forgot all about the kiss.

"Well, we can always find out later," he whispered in his sexy, irresistible voice. Then, he started to kiss me, much more urgently than he had downstairs. I responded eagerly, forgetting that I didn't know his name, forgetting that we were on Alice's bed, forgetting that someone would probably catch us...forgetting about the condom in my purse...

**A/N: So what did you guys think? Sorry for disappearing...I had to get surgery on my leg, and I kind of wasn't feeling too well for a while.....  
**


	4. Remembering

CHAPTER FOUR: Remembering

I woke up the next morning, with a strange pounding in my head. "Owwww," I complained.

"You're up?" Alice asked. She sounded strange. But maybe that was because of the headache.

"My head hurts," I said.

Alice nodded. "I was expecting that," she replied. "Here, drink this." I took the glass, without questioning her any further, and downed it in one gulp. Although my head was still hurting, I was able to think a little better after a while.

"What happened?" Alice asked me. Her voice was still sounding strange.

"What do you mean?"

"Bella. I came up here after the party. When we left you here, you were wearing the dress. When I came back, you were...not wearing anything at all. What happened?"

"I don't know. I don't remember anything about last night."

"Did someone come up there after we left, Bella?"

"I don't know; I already told you that."

"Tell me everything that happened."

"Well, I had the Coke, and I started feeling strange. Then Emmett and Jasper took me upstairs. Then I slept for a while. And then..."

"Why did you stop, Bella"

"Someone _did_ come into the room," I whispered. Alice's eyes widened as she realized what I was telling her.

"Who?" she whispered back.

"I don't know his name. It was that guy I pointed out to you earlier. He was talking to me, and then he...um...well..."

"What, Bella?"

I was uncomfortable talking about this, but I knew I had to tell someone. "He...um...started kissing me...and yeah."

"Did you go all the way?"

"I think so, yeah," I admitted, embarrassed.

"Holy crap, Bella, I'm so sorry."

"Weren't you the one who always said that everyone has sex, and that it's perfectly natural?"

"Yes, but Bella! It's not special unless you _want_ to do it. You were drunk. You had no idea what was going on. Hell, you couldn't even remember it! That's not special."

"What do I do?"

"I would start by making myself look presentable. Your mom's going to be picking you up soon."

"What do you mean? What time is it?"

"Two o'clock. Esme's coming at three-thirty."

"How do you know?"

"She called earlier. If you didn't wake up in another half hour, I would have woken you up."

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"You needed rest. You looked like you had a rough night."

"If that's what you want to call it."

"Bella! Go take a shower. You'll feel better, I promise."

"Yeah, right."

"At any rate, you won't feel as horrible as you do now."

I had to give her that one when I came out of the shower half an hour later. Now I had thirty minutes to eat and repack my bag, before Mom came. When I returned to Alice's room, I found her sitting on my bed, looking through the purse she had given me the night before.

"Did you use protection?" she asked, turning a small object around in her hands. It was the condom.

"I don't think so," I answered, my heart going cold with fear. _What if..._

-+-+-+-

I had managed to calm myself down by the time Mom arrived.

"How was the party?" she asked me.

"It was...loud," I answered, nervously.

"Where are your parents?" she asked Alice.

"They said that they wanted to go out for lunch," she lied, easily. "They were going to go out last night, but they stayed home for my party, so they decided to go out today instead."

That seemed to satisfy her so we didn't say more about last night anymore. "So Mom, how was your date?" I asked, changing the subject.

"I didn't have a date last night," she said. Too defensive.

"You did. Don't try to deny it. You know you did."

"Okay, Bella. Listen. If it was something I wanted to tell you, I would tell you myself. I had a nice night yesterday, and that's all you need to know."

"Fine."

-+-+-+-

(Monday: At School)

"Alice, what do I do?" I was panicking.

"Bella. You won't know if you're pregnant or not for another couple of weeks, at least. Wait and see if you have your period, and then we'll resume this conversation. Until then, don't worry about it.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Jasper asked us. Emmett was right behind him. Rosalie stood a little distance away, scowling at them.

"Nothing," I replied, a little too quickly.

"How was the hangover?" Emmett asked playfully. I gave Alice a scared look, and her eyes widened.

"What do you know about that?" she asked him.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you know anything about what happened Saturday night?"

"Do I know anything about what?"

"Should I tell them?" Alice asked, turning to me.

"Do whatever you want," I said helplessly, turning away and walking out the door. I got into my truck and sat there for a few minutes, contemplating my options. If I _was _pregnant, I could have an abortion, get the baby adopted, or keep the baby. If I _wasn't _pregnant, then I had nothing to worry about. I sighed sadly.

**A/N: So did you like the three chapters you got today? And by the way, I wouldn't expect this too often; I felt guity about my long absence, and since all three chapters were written already, I figured I'd clear my conscience. Review please!!! Any and all feedback is welcomed and appreciated!!!**


	5. Friend

**Hey guys. I'm sorry for disappearing for so long. I hope you like the chapter..... Review please!!!! And I love reading stories too. I'd love to hear any story recommendations you might have!**

"Hey, Bella!" someone called. I looked out the window. It was Emmett. "Bella, wait!"

I got out of the car reluctantly. "What?" I asked.

"Bella, it's okay. We'll help you out," Emmett shouted.

"Shut up, Emmett," I hissed. People were starting to stare.

"Calm down, Bella. It'll be alright. Emmett, Alice, and I will take care of you and make sure you're fine." Jasper always had a way of cheering me up.

"No Rose?" I asked, with a smile.

"I didn't tell her yet," Alice explained.

"And Bella," Emmett added, "if we ever find that loser who slept with you, me and Jasper will beat the crap out of him."

I nodded, smiling, but for some reason, I didn't want that to happen. Although I had only spoken to the beautiful, bronze-haired angel a couple of times, I didn't want him to be harmed. It was a strange feeling, made all the more unusual by the possibility that I was carrying his child. It was something I never would have expected of myself. I was the responsible one; I would have expected Alice, or even Rosalie, to be the knocked-up one, considering how many boyfriends they had gone through. Now, that person could be me.

Alice contemplated my expression. "Bella, don't worry. You only had sex once. There's barely any odds that just one night of irresponsibility will make you pregnant. It's okay."

"Alice! Even if the chance is small, the chance is still there, right! I'm not going to relax until I get my period."

Alice walked over to me and patted my back. "Don't worry, Bella. I told you. The odds are in your favor."

-+-+-+-

The odds are _so_ against me, it's not even funny anymore. It's been twenty-five days since that incident at the party. Summer vacation has started. No period yet. This was not supposed to happen.

"Is everything all right?" Esme asked me.

"Yeah, Mom, I'm fine," I said. Yeah, right.

"You know you can tell me the truth anytime, right?" she asked.

"I know, Mom. Really. I'm okay. Don't worry about me."

"I know I've been leaving you alone too much, Bella. I'm sorry about that. It's just that I met this really nice guy when I went to do that project in California. Do you remember? I had left you at Alice's house for a couple of days. He's single too, and he has a son about your age. Wouldn't it be wonderful if this worked out? I mean, you would have a father and a brother."

"Why are you telling me this now?" I asked. "Haven't I been asking you about your boyfriend for a while? You never gave me a straight answer."

"I know," she sighed. "It's just that I have a feeling that this will work out, and I wanted to let you know about them before."

"How does that tie in with tonight?"

"Well, Carlisle, that's his name, asked me out to dinner tonight, and I think that this will be it."

I raised my eyebrows skeptically. "Good luck with that."

"Anyway," Esme said, looking at her watch, "I'll be leaving in ten minutes. I think I'll be out late, so don't bother waiting up."

"Mom, does this guy drive out from California to meet you?"

"No. He comes on the train. Once he brought his son. He was very charming, I'm sure you'd like him. Oh, but he left rather abruptly, said he had to go to some party."

I nodded, absentmindedly. "Right. Have fun, Mom."

She smiled. "I intend to."

That was a bit too much. I went to my room, still grimacing. What was that supposed to mean?

Now, unfortunately, I had nothing to distract me from my dilemma. I pulled out my cell phone, and dialed Alice's number. She didn't pick up. I decided to leave a message. "Hey, Alice, this is Bella. My period didn't come. I think I'll have to get a pregnancy test, but I don't think I can do it myself. Please call back as soon as possible. I really could use your help. Listen, I—"

I was cut off by the answering system on the phone. "Thank you for the message."

Great. Now what could I do? I went to the bathroom to check again, but there still was no period.

There was a drugstore a few miles away from here; I could drive there, get the test, and be back with _hours_ to spare, before Esme returned. I probably wouldn't be able to summon the courage necessary to take the test, but whenever Alice came over she'd make sure I took it. It wasn't something I wanted to do, but it was better than sitting around and feeling sorry for myself.

Sighing, I locked up the house, and walked to my truck. Before sitting down, I looked across the street. The Webers lived there, including my friend, Angela. She was the nicest person you could ever meet, and she was my best friend, after Alice. I saw Mrs. Weber getting out of the car, holding a small girl's hand in each of her own, and patting her ever-growing stomach. She was pregnant again. How she would be able to take care of a teenage daughter, two small twin girls,_ and_ a newborn baby was beyond me.

I got out of my truck and walked across the street. "Hello, Mrs. Weber!" I called.

"Hi," she answered. "Angela is inside."

Nodding, I walked into the house after her. Angela was sitting on the dining table, eating an apple. "Hey, Bella," she said. "What's up?"

"Nothing, much," I answered. Then an idea hit me. Angela was at that party, too. She probably saw the mystery guy. She was a great friend. She would probably be able to help me out. "Listen, Ang, there's something I want to tell you."

She smiled. "Okay, we'll talk in my room," she said, leading me upstairs. I told her the story in a few minutes, dreading her reaction.

"Bella, I'm sorry," she whispered. "It was horrible for Edward to do that."

"How do you know his name?" I asked.

"I _did_ see him at the party, Bella. I asked him his name, and he said he was named Edward Anthony Masen Cullen. He was from California, and he said that his dad is thinking of moving here."

"Wow, look at that. He can actually have a coherent conversation with someone, without trying to kiss them, or something like that."

"No offense, Bella, but that dress was sort of provocative."

"_That's_ what I told Alice."

"Listen, Bella. I won't judge you. You didn't want this, and if you need any kind of help, just ask."

"Can I ask you something now?"

"Sure."

"I was going to the drugstore to get a pregnancy test. Do you think you could come with me and make sure I take it?"

"Of course, Bella."

Angela offered to drive us to the drugstore in her car, because it would be faster than my truck. I agreed, halfheartedly. Edward Anthony Masen Cullen. What a stupid name.

It only took fifteen minutes for us to arrive. I walked inside slowly, slightly nervous. What if someone from school was here? What if Jessica Stanley, the biggest gossip girl in school saw me? What if one of the teachers were here? I didn't want to go in.

"Angela, you go get one for me," I begged.

"Bella, I don't know which one you'd like. There are a lot."

"Then call me from inside, and I'll tell you." I really was desperate.

"No, Bella. I think you should do this yourself."

**REVIEW!!!**


	6. Unfair

I was inside the store, in the "Family Planning" aisle, and was looking at all of the pregnancy tests. Angela walked over from the hair accessories aisle, and asked, "Find anything yet?"

"No," I sighed. "I don't even understand what half of the words on these mean."

"Maybe you should ask someone for help," Angela suggested. "A lot of people work here."

"I know, but what would they think of me?" A slut, a whore, a prostitute—the possibilities were endless.

"They don't need to know. You can tell them that you're twenty-two, and make up a name. No one would be any the wiser. Phoenix is a big city. Odds are no one would know it was you." I nodded and walked off to find a salesperson, a _woman_ preferably.

I should have known. The odds were against me before; they're against me now, too. Angela had said that a lot of people worked here. I could only find one now. Luckily, it was a girl. A blonde girl. A tall, blonde girl "Excuse me?" I whispered. She turned around with a surprised look on her face.

"Bella? What are you doing here?"

It was Rosalie. So much for no one knowing my name or age. We should have gone to a drugstore that was out of town. Or even better—out of state.

"Bella?" It was Angela. "What's taking so...oh hey, Rosalie."

"Angela, what do I do?"

"Just tell her, Bella. I...I don't think there's much else you can do."

What! I couldn't _tell _Rosalie! She would proceed to tell anyone and everyone she could! After all, she hated me! And once Jessica Stanley found out, my reputation was in the toilet, because Jessica loved spreading gossip and rumors, like her mother. I swear, that girl will become a journalist someday. At least then her attention will be on celebrities and politicians, rather than myself.

"Bella?" Rosalie asked again. "Are you okay? Why are you here?"

"Do you know where Alice is?" I asked lamely.

"Yeah, she's on a date with my brother. Why?" So that was why Alice's didn't pick up my phone call.

"Um...I don't really know how to tell you this, but...I...um...think that I'm...well...pregnant." There. It was out. The secret was out. Time to kiss my reputation good-bye.

"What!" The shock in Rosalie's eyes was evident; I braced myself for the ridicule that would definitely follow.

It didn't come.

"Bella, I'm sorry. This must be horrible for you. How did this happen?"

I explained the whole party thing to her, and her eyes widened. "I can't believe I treated you so horribly, what with you carrying a child and all! I'm so sorry, Bella, I really am! By the way, who's the guy?"

"It's okay, I guess. No harm done. And I have no idea."

"Do you know if you're pregnant, like, for sure?"

"No. That's why I came here. To get a pregnancy test. I couldn't understand any of the directions or details on the boxes, so Angela persuaded me to ask someone."

I looked behind me, but Angela wasn't there anymore. She had decided to give me some time to talk to Rosalie. Very tactful. As we walked down the aisles, I saw Angela looking at some nail polish. "I don't want you to wait," Rosalie told her kindly. "Bella could be here a while, and I don't want you to be waiting here unnecessarily. I could drive her home."

Angela looked pleased. "Okay, then. You don't mind, right Bella?"

"Not at all, Ang."

"Bye, then." She turned around and hurried out of the automatic doors.

Sighing sadly, I said, "So why are you so nice to me now?"

"Bella, I never told anyone this, but I love small children. They're so _cute_! And they say the funniest things. I was babysitting my little cousin once, and she asked me for more blueberries. She had already eaten a lot, so I told her no. She wanted to know why. so I told her that her tummy would get upset and it would hurt. Do you know what she said?"

I shook my head.

"She said, 'Why? Is there a teacher in there?' It was the funniest thing, Bella. I knew then, that I loved small children with all of my heart. That's why I want to become a preschool teacher when I grow up. So that I can always be around small children."

"Why didn't you tell anyone about this?"

"Bella, you know my image. It was established long before this incident. I couldn't let it change. I had made my way to the top. This would make me fall all the way to the bottom. I had worked too hard and too long for that. So I kept it a secret. But I suppose it will come out now."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It will all work out eventually. And I like being nice. Maybe I don't want to be at the top of the food chain anymore, know what I mean?"

I nodded, even though I didn't understand what she meant. "Listen, Rose. Mom will be home soon, and I should get that pregnancy test before..."

"Right," Rosalie answered. She took me back to the 'Family Planning' aisle. We discussed the pros and cons of several kinds of pregnancy tests, and we finally decided on one. It claimed to discover pregnancy a week earlier than other brands.

"You should get that one, because it hasn't been too long since the party," she suggested.

"How do they even test these things out? How can they be sure they work?" I asked, confused.

"I don't know, Bella, that's just how they are. They probably have some method, though."

I nodded. "Listen, Bella," Rosalie said tentatively. "Go to the employee bathroom, and take the test now. Don't worry about paying for it; I'll take care of it. You deserve some kind of repayment for my behavior over the past few years. And...if the test is positive...you can pick up some things that will help you. We keep some obstetricians' phone numbers. You might need that."

"Rose, I'm scared," I whispered.

"I would be scared, too," she told me. "Just grit your teeth and do it. Try not to think about what might happen. I'm here if you need me."

I tried to appear resolute as I walked to the bathroom. Once I was securely locked in a cubicle, I took out the little box and opened it. You were supposed to pee on it. After five to seven minutes, it would change color. If it turned green, it was positive. If it turned red, it was negative. I was nervous, but I still managed to take the test.

Afraid to look, I left the stick on the bathroom counter, and walked out. Rosalie was helping another customer. "Where can I find toothbrushes?" he asked. Holy SHIT!! That was Edward. I would know his voice anywhere.

"Aisle three," Rosalie answered.

"Where can I get your phone number?" he asked. I couldn't believe it! He knocked me up, possibly, and now he was hitting on Rosalie!!

"She has a boyfriend," I said curtly, walking out from behind a display.

"Who are you?" he asked, looking me up and down. My presence seemed to amuse him.

"I don't believe you!" I shouted, throwing my hands up in the air.

"Bella, calm down!" Rose said.

"No! Sure as hell, no! He was the person at the party, Rose! He's the one!" I shrieked.

"Is your friend okay?" Edward asked Rose. He looked concerned. _Concerned!_

"Yeah, she's fine. Bella, is everything alright?" That was code. If everything's alright, the test was negative. If not, it was positive.

"I don't know," I answered truthfully.

She nodded. "Where?"

"On the counter," I replied.

Edward was confused. "I'm just going to get those toothbrushes, then," he said.

Rosalie nodded and turned back to me. "I think it's time. Let's go."

We walked to the bathroom in silence. There was a green streak on the counter. The stick had changed color from white to green. But what did green stand for again?

Almost as if she read my mind, Rosalie asked, "What does green stand for?"

"I don't know," I answered.

"Where's the box?"

"I threw it out."

"Come on then," Rosalie said. "Let's go get another box and find out."

I nodded, and walked over to the correct location. Rose and I were staring at all of the different boxes, trying to figure out which one was the one that I had used, when Edward walked into the aisle, holding a couple of toothbrushes. He glanced nervously at the two of us, clutching various pregnancy tests and arguing about them. "Um, I hope I'm not interrupting something," he said uncertainly.

"No," Rosalie said coldly. "Did you need something?"

He faltered at her unfriendly expression and stammered, "Well, I wanted to pay for this," he said, pointing to the toothbrushes. Rosalie nodded, and went to the register, leaving me to look at the pregnancy tests by myself. _Stupid Edward_. I was getting better, and he had to come here and mess it up. I found the right box and read the back nervously. Green meant...pregnant._ Oh shit!_

Life was so unfair.

**REVIEW!!!**


	7. Meeting

CHAPTER SEVEN: Meeting

(Edward POV)

I was driving around town, trying to decide whether to have dinner at Burger King or McDonalds, when my phone buzzed. "Hello?" I asked, driving one-handed.

"Edward, could you get some toothbrushes and clothes for the two of us?" It was my dad Carlisle, off on a date with some girlfriend of his.

"Why?"

"Esme wants us to meet her daughter, and invited us to stay the night." Esme was his girlfriend. I met her already, and she seemed nice enough. Her daughter was named Ella or something like that.

"What!" Stay the night. He had to be kidding.

"Edward, just do it please. Use the emergency credit card I gave you. Get clothes for tonight and tomorrow for the two of us."

"Dad!"

"Edward!"

"Fine!"

And that was it. I went to the mall and got some clothes for the two of us. Next, I went to a drugstore to get some toothbrushes.

The salesperson was _hot_, and she looked about my age.

"Where can I find toothbrushes?" I asked in my most seductive voice.

"Aisle three," she answered.

"Where can I get your phone number?" I asked. It was stupid, but I knew I wouldn't mind if it worked.

"She has a boyfriend," some other girl said, coming out of nowhere. She looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't tell where I had seen her.

"Who are you?" I asked, looking at her. Hmmm, she did have a nice figure.

"I don't believe you!" she shrieked.

"Bella, calm down!" the saleslady said.

"No! Sure as hell, no! He was the person at the party, Rose! He's the one!" she yelled.

"Is your friend okay?" I asked the clerk? Was there something wrong with the girl?

"Yeah, she's fine. Bella, is everything alright?" the clerk said. She looked distracted, and slightly annoyed.

"I don't know," the brunette answered.

"Where?" the clerk asked.

"On the counter," said the girl.

This was making no sense. "I'm just going to get those toothbrushes then," I said nervously.

The clerk nodded and turned her back to me. "I think it's time. Let's go," she told the brunette.

I walked over to aisle three, and found a wide selection of toothbrushes. I picked two at random and looked for the clerk. After walking all over the store, I found her in the pregnancy aisle. Both of them were holding various pregnancy tests and having a whispered argument about them.

"It was this one, see. It's red."

"No, that box is too big. I think it was this one."

"No way. It's seven dollars. Yours was nine dollars."

"Um, I hope I'm not interrupting something," I said.

"No," the clerk said coldly. "Did you need something?"

"Well, I wanted to pay for this," I answered. She led me to the register where I paid in silence.

The entire car ride to the restaurant where Carlisle and Esme were having dinner, where they had invited me to go, I wondered what had happened to that poor brunette in the drugstore. Every time she looked at me, it was with hatred. Why was she like that? And why did she need a pregnancy test? Could she be...no. She looked too sensible to get herself into any kind of situation like that.

But she was beautiful, in her own way. However, she could never be as beautiful as my girlfriend, Tanya Denali. She was the most gorgeous person I had ever seen. That's why she was my girlfriend. And why did she look so familiar to me? I thought back to the party. I had slept with a girl. She was so beautiful, so much more than Tanya. Without thinking once of my girlfriend, I had gotten her into a bed and slept with her. It was the most wonderful night of my life. I didn't even know her name.

She had brown hair, wonderful legs, and the sweetest voice in the world. I knew that I loved her, but it was time to get over that. I would never meet her again, and there wasn't much I could do about it.

I was in way over my head, but I figured it would get better with time. Anyway, I arrived at the restaurant just then, and I hurried inside. "Hey Dad, Esme," I said.

"Hey, Edward," they replied.

"Where's Bella?" Carlisle asked Esme.

"I don't know," she answered. "I sent her a text, but I don't think she got it. I'll call her." She pulled out a cell phone and dialed a number. "Bella, honey, where are you?...Why are you with Rosalie? I thought you didn't get along?...Really?...That's nice....How long?...Are you coming then?...Are you okay? You sound strange....Are you sure?...Okay then....Bye, I love you." She snapped the phone shut and turned to Carlisle.

"I think that something's wrong. She was so upset when I tried talking to her right now. For the last couple of weeks, she's been so quiet. I mean, ever since she came back from Alice's party, she's barely talked to me at all. I mean, she's talked, but she's been so distant. I keep worrying that something happened at that party."

Alice's party? Oh shit! Was she the girl that I fell in love with? No way. It's not possible.

"Don't worry, Esme. We'll all talk to her, and I'm sure it'll be all right, whatever it is." That was Carlisle, comforting her.

Soon after, the clerk and the girl from the drugstore walked in, along with a huge guy. They talked for a couple of seconds, and then the brunette walked over to our table. Was she the girl checking out the pregnancy tests? Yes she was! Oh crap! My dad's girlfriend's daughter was possibly pregnant! Wait, no. Carlisle had told me that he was engaged to Esme...so it was my future stepsister who was pregnant...Shit! This was not what I wanted at all. This was so unexpected. This was the strangest thing to ever happen to me.

"Now that Bella's here," Esme sang, "we have a little announcement to make."

This could not be happening. Was she telling her? Now Bella would know that I'm her stepbrother-to-be. This was _wrong_! I thought Esme wouldn't want to tell her because she was still upset over her dad dying, or something like that.

"We're engaged!" Carlisle said proudly.

I studied her face more carefully. She looked so fragile. I wanted to protect her. It was the last thing I'd expected to feel when I looked at her. I thought I saw some pain in her eyes, and then indifference, and then...it disappeared, almost as if she were shielding her emotions from me. Why was that? Maybe—

"Congratulations," Bella said, pulling me out of my reverie. The slightly upset expression on her face was hidden, as she pulled her features into a smile.

"Thank you," Carlisle said happily. Esme just nodded, pleased that Bella didn't make a fuss.

(Bella POV-At the drugstore)

I put my phone away in my pocket. "Rose, there's been a change of plans," I said softly.

"What?"

"Esme wants me to go to the restaurant where she's eating with her boyfriend and his son. She texted me, and because I didn't answer, she called just now. Could you drop me off?"

"Bella, do you want me to come? I could call Emmett..."

"Please do, Rose. You know I don't like asking, but I don't think I can do it alone."

"I know." She sent a quick text to Emmett and said, "He'll meet us at the restaurant in a few minutes."

"Okay," I answered.

We drove to the diner in silence. I was in shock, so conversation was out for me, and Rose...well...what do you say to a seventeen year old girl who's just found out that she's pregnant?

As soon as we found a parking spot in the lot, a huge person bounded over. It was Emmett.

"Okay, Bella? Hanging in there?"

"Oh yeah. I found out that I'm having a baby with a guy I don't even know. I'm just fabulous."

"Great!"

"I was being sarcastic."

"I know."

I rolled my eyes. Emmett was such a _baby_ sometimes. I never used to mind, but now that there actually was a baby in the picture, it was different.

Rosalie chastised Emmett for upsetting me.

"You know?" he asked Rosalie incredulously.

"About what?"

"The guy at the party."

"Of course."

"Who told you?"

"Bella. Who else?"

"Oh. I was wondering, because Alice told Bella that she would tell me and Jasper, but no one else."

"Alice? I'm going to have a word with her!"

"Why?"

"She didn't tell me. Why else?"

"She had a reason."

"Like what?"

"Rose, Emmett, could you guys talk about this inside. I have to go now, before Esme comes looking for me," I interrupted.

"Yeah, sure," Rosalie said quickly.

Emmett nodded too.

We hurried into the restaurant.

"I'll be sitting over here with Emmett," Rose told me, gesturing to an empty table.

"Thank you, Rose," I said. This really meant a lot to me.

"You're welcome," she said. "Good luck."

I looked around and found the right table. He was there. Edward. Shit, he was my mom's boyfriend's son? This was _wrong_!

"Now that Bella's here," Esme sang happily, as soon as I sat down, "we have a little announcement to make."

You're not serious!

"We're engaged!" her boyfriend said proudly. Well, her fiancé now. And my future stepfather. And the father of my baby was none other than...my future stepbrother!

Life sucks.

**A/N: Hey, guys. I'm sorry I didn't update for a while. I suppose I just got a little bit lazy. I just started high school, and since I'm taking most of the difficult classes this year, it's taken me a while to adjust to the schedule. Anyway, the best cure to my laziness is reviews, *hint* so maybe you should consider that.... **


	8. Confrontation

CHAPTER EIGHT: Confrontation

(Bella POV)

"Hey, Bella. I'm Carlisle. It's nice to finally meet you." Nice of him to introduce himself after I found out that he was marrying Esme.

"Thank you."

"I'm Edward," Future Father said. Hmm. That has a nice ring to it.

"I know," I answered.

"What were you doing at the drugstore when I stopped to buy toothbrushes?" he asked.

How could he have the _nerve_! Especially while Esme and Carlisle were here?!

"My friend Rosalie works there. Alice didn't answer her phone, and Angela seemed have work to do, so I decided to go hang out with Rose."

He nodded. That was close.

"Why did Rosalie come here for dinner too?" Esme asked.

"Emmett heard that I was coming here, and he wanted to come."

The rest of the dinner continued like that. Everyone asking me questions, and me answering them. I didn't remember the last time I talked so much. Eventually, I had had enough.

"Is everything alright, Bella?" Esme asked me. "You've been very distant since that party of Alice's. Did something happen?"

"No," I said, defensively.

"Bella, if you just talk about it..." Carlisle began.

"I said _no_, okay! If I don't want to say anything about it, that's my choice. Just leave me _alone!_" I got up and went to Rosalie's table. "Rose, can you drive me home?" I asked, aware that the entire restaurant's eyes were on me.

"Of course, Bella. No problem," she answered. Rose and I walked out of the restaurant, while Emmett paid the check.

When I was home, I picked up my phone and called Alice. She answered this time.

"Hello?"

"Alice, it's me."

"Bella!"

"Listen, I just found out. I'm pregnant and the father is my future stepbrother."

"What!"

-+-+-+-

(Edward POV)

Bella had just left the restaurant.

"See, this is what I was talking about," Esme said. "I would be talking to her, and then something would upset her, and she would get up and walk away."

Carlisle seemed lost in thought. "Well, now we at least know one thing. The whole thing that she's upset about did happen at the party."

"But she refuses to talk about it. What should we do?" Esme asked.

"Edward was at the party. Do you have any idea what happened to her." I had a pretty good idea. When I stared at her face earlier, and listened to her talk, I had realized why she was so familiar. She was the beauty at the party. But what could I do about it. What was done was done, right?

"Edward?"

"What?"

"Do you know what happened to Bella at the party?" Yes, of course I knew.

"Um, no. Anyway, Dad, I'm tired. Can we go now?" He looked confused, but he agreed to leave.

"By the way, Esme, are you going to tell Bella that you and Dad have been engaged for a little over a month now, and not tonight, or something like that?" I asked.

"I don't think so," she answered. "I think she has enough on her plate."

-+-+-+-

We got home a little after eleven.

"Bella," Esme called hesitantly. "Honey, are you home?"

There was no answer.

"Bella!" she called again.

"I'm here, Mom," came an irritated voice. "Leave me alone."

"Bella," she whispered.

"Leave me alone, Mom. I don't want to talk to anyone right now. Anyway, I'm on the phone."

"Why are you on the phone if you don't want to talk to anyone?" Esme questioned.

"By 'anyone' I mean my mother and future stepfamily. Alice is my _friend_. There's a difference." Wow, she was mean.

Almost as if she were reading my thoughts, Esme said, "Bella, you never were so rude before. What has gotten into you?"

There was a pause. And then, "Well, it couldn't possibly have _anything_ to do with the fact that my mother is getting married without letting me talk to the guy at all. And when we finally _do_ talk to each other, it's only to ask me questions about a party that happened almost a _month_ ago. It's none of your business, _Mother_, just leave me alone, and let me talk to Alice!"

Esme's face crumbled, and I could see tears leaking from her eyes.

"It's okay, Esme," Carlisle murmured. "She'll come down for breakfast tomorrow, and we'll talk about it then."

"I was so glad," Esme blubbered. "I thought that Bella was _happy_ that we're getting married. But now she turns around and does the complete opposite. I don't know what to do about her now."

"I know, Esme, but it will be alright, okay? I promise..."

That was it. I had had enough of this conversation. If this girl was stupid enough to hurt her parents this way, I was going to go talk to her, whether she was on the phone or not.

I walked outside her room, and heard her talking through the door. The phone was on speaker, so I could hear Alice as well.

***(Beginning of phone eavesdropping: Bold=Bella; italics=Alice)

**Why, though? Why should I talk to him?**

_Bella, he's the father of your baby._

**Yeah, I definitely want to talk to the guy who stole my first kiss, my virginity, and now my life! **

_It's not like that, Bella._

**Yes it is! He took the kiss and my virginity without asking, so technically, that **_**is**_** stealing! And now I have to take care of the child, because I can't get rid of it in good conscience, so he's taken over my life as well. **

_Calm down, Bella. We'll figure something out._

**No, we won't! What's done is done! Undoing it isn't an option for me; I already know that that's something that I can't do!**

_Bella, I'm sure that if you just talked to your mother—_

**Alice! How do I tell her, anyway, huh? 'Hey, Mom, you know Edward, your future stepson, yeah, well I'm pregnant, and he's the dad.' Yeah, I can imagine her taking that **_**very**_** well.**

_Listen, Bella. I'm just trying to help._

**I know, Alice. It's just hard to think about this. Can we talk about something else?**

_Of course, Bella. Did you start the English summer assignment, yet?_

**Crap, I forgot.**

_It's okay. It's _English_. You always ace it. _

**Yeah, I suppose. Listen, I think I should rest now. Baby, and all that.**

_Yeah, Bella. You do that. Bye._

**Bye.**

***(end of phone eavesdropping)

So this confirmed what I suspected. Bella was supposedly pregnant. With my child. Shit.

I knocked on the door. If I was going to get this straightened out, it was better sooner than later.

"What," came an annoyed voice from inside.

"It's Edward," I said softly. "May I come in?"

(Bella POV)

After I hung up, someone knocked on my door. I sighed. What part of 'Leave me the hell alone' didn't these people understand? "What," I asked, not bothering to conceal my irritation.

"It's Edward. May I come in?" So he was being polite now, asking if he could come in my room. Well that was the complete opposite of the party, just barging in, like he owned the place. I thought about his clothes and the way he dressed. Hmm, he could own the place if he _wanted _to, I guess. He seemed to have the money. Anyway, I _would_ have to talk to him sooner or later...

"Sure," I answered. This should be interesting.

"What's going on?" he asked, trying to act casual.

"_You_ knocked me up, and you want to know what's going on?" I couldn't believe his nerve.

"What makes you think you're pregnant?" he said bluntly.

"Um...let me think...I took a pregnancy test and it came out _positive_!" My sarcasm seemed to unnerve him a bit. Excellent.

"You said you went to the drugstore to hang out with Rosalie."

I rolled my eyes. "You can't _possibly _think that I would tell you the truth in front of my _mother_!"

"Speaking of your mother," he said, "you shouldn't have upset her like that. She was crying, and everything."

"Like you care," I shot back.

"I _do_ care. What makes you think I don't?"

"You practically _raped_ me, and you didn't even have the decency to use a condom to prevent this whole damn mess! That seems like a pretty good reason to me!"

"Listen, I am sorry about that—"

"Sorry! You think an apology can make this better!"

"Well, it's a start, I mean—"

"No. It does not make anything better. Leave me _alone_! I don't want to talk to _anyone_ right now! Why do you think I left the restaurant early?"

"Listen, I—"

"No, _you_ listen. You leave me and _my _child alone, you got that! I don't want him or her to have _you_ in their life. I don't want them to grow up like _you_. I don't want _any_ part of you. So leave me the _hell_ alone!"

**A/N: So what did you think? If I get twenty more reviews, then I promise to update on Thursday! If not, it'll probably be next week sometime. **


	9. Decisions

(Edward POV)

Bella's words were like daggers in my heart. I couldn't believe it. It was my child, too, and she was insisting that I stay out of his or her life. Who did she think she was? Well, maybe the dick who knocked her up, but still...it was my kid.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was my best friend from back home in California.

"Hey, Mike!" I said.

"Hey, man," he answered. "Listen, when are you and Carlisle coming to pick up your stuff?"

"This weekend, I guess. Why?"

"Great. Is your new sister coming?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if she was hot, maybe me and her could go out to dinner sometime."

"I don't think that will work."

"Come on. You can't tell me that long-distance relationships don't work out. Look at your dad. It worked out for him. Look at you and Tanya."

"No, listen, that's not what I mean."

"What, has she got a boyfriend already? Just _my_ luck. All the good ones are taken."

"No."

"Then?"

"She's pregnant." I heard Mike drop the phone.

"Preg—what! How did that happen?!"

"Do I need to give you the sex talk?"

"No, that's not what I mean. Who's the dad?"

"You don't want to know that."

"You _know_?She _told_ you? _Why_?"

"She didn't really have any choice."

"I don't get it."

"She was kind of obliged to tell me."

"Why? You're _just_ her stepbrother."

"Um, well, you see—"

"You're wasting my minutes. Hurry up."

"You're such a girl sometimes. Anyway, the father is, well, me."

Mike dropped the phone again. "Crap. Why'd you sleep with your stepsister? That's like...incest."

"I didn't know she was going to be my stepsister."

"Carlisle told you as soon as he proposed. How could you not know?"

"I knew I was getting a stepsister; I just didn't know what she looked like, or who she was, or anything."

"Then how did you sleep with her?"

"We were at this party...and...well...it just...sort of...happened."

"Didn't you know that your stepsister's name was Bella? Even if you never met her?"

"I kind of didn't ask her name at the party."

"So you slept with a strange girl, and you didn't even ask her what her name was."

"She was drop-dead gorgeous."

"I know, Edward. It was the same story last time. Remember Kate? At least she was on birth control. No pregnancy. And you _have_ a girlfriend."

"Listen, Mike, I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing to me? Go apologize to that poor girl you knocked up."

"I did."

"And what did she say?"

"She didn't accept."

"_I _don't blame her."

"Mike!"

"Yeah, I know I'm your friend and all, but I feel so bad for your sister. Just because _you_ can't take care of your problems and issues, she has to deal with a baby."

"_Problems? Issues?_"

"Well, you don't even know her name, and yet you get her in bed as soon as possible. I don't know about you, Edward, but I think that _is_ a problem."

"Mike, it was _just_ sex."

"Yeah, and now she's _just _pregnant."

"Listen, Mike, I had no idea what was going on."

"How could you not know what was going on?"

"I don't know, Mike, I have no idea. Everything is so confusing."

"I think I have an idea."

"Really? Enlighten me."

"Okay, well—"

"I was being sarcastic, actually."

"Just talk to your father. He's a doctor, right? Maybe he'll have some ideas."

"NO!"

"Why not?"

"Can you imagine what he'll say to me? Getting my stepsister pregnant and all that?"

"You got this girl _pregnant_! Even if she gets an abortion, she's always going to think about what _could have been!_ It's not fair to her! You ruin her life, and now you're worried about _your_ reputation."

"It takes two to tango."

"Yeah? Well did this girl _tell_ you she wanted to have sex?"

"No, she was incoherent."

"What?"

"She seemed drunk."

Mike dropped his phone again. "Damn phone," he muttered. "I don't believe you!" he shouted. "She had no idea what was going on; she was _drunk_! And you just go ahead and rape her!"

"It wasn't rape."

"How long are you going to delude yourself? She didn't want it. In any court, that's considered rape."

"How do _you_ know so much about this anyway?"

"Um...well—"

"Get on with it, Mike!"

"It was something I...um...had to consider a few months ago. Remember? When I was still going out with Lauren?"

"You mean...she was...like Bella?"

"Yeah, she was...pregnant."

"Then what happened to the baby?"

Mike stopped talking. _Stupid, stupid_ I told myself. It was obvious that Lauren had gotten rid of it; there was no other explanation.

"I guess I know," I amended. "Sorry."

"It's okay, man," Mike answered. "It's just a little hard o talk about. I mean, when she said that she was pregnant, I was kind of scared, but I couldn't help but love the baby. It was mine, and I loved it. It's kind of hard to explain. Then she got all worried about her rep, and wanted to get rid of it. I went along, but I didn't like it. Eventually, she regretted her decision, and that's when she broke up. She said that...that...she didn't like looking at me anymore...because it...it reminded her...of...the baby." He took a deep breath. "So what I'm saying is...go ahead and agree with whatever she wants to do. But no matter what happens, your lives will never be the same again." Mike seemed a little self-conscious. "And I've never found something that I've loved as much as Lauren or the baby ever again. I don't think I have the heart to _try_ again. Believe me. Once you lose something that's more precious to you than your life, you never forget it. And that's what I lost when I gave up my child. It's not something you want."

"Shit, I'm sorry." What else could I say? Mike had become pretty mature.

"Listen, Edward. This is why it makes me angry at how you treat any and all of the girls you know. Why can't you just leave them alone? But, no. You have to go and fuck them at the first opportunity. What the _hell_!"

"Listen, Mike, I'll stop. I'll—"

"No you won't. You've been doing this since your mom died. It's almost like you take out all of your grief on those poor girls you rape."

"Mike, shut up! It's not like that!"

"Okay, fine. Maybe you don't rape all of the girls you meet, maybe some of them actually are willing, but this still isn't right Edward! Now you make sure that your poor, unfortunate sister comes to California with you this weekend. _Someone_ needs to explain to her what kind of an idiot you are."

"Listen, I gotta go."

"Sure, Edward. Run from your problems. Like you've done for your entire life."

THE NEXT MORNING-BELLA POV

When I woke up, I was still fuming. Damn Edward for getting me pregnant. Damn Esme for getting engaged without even letting me meet the guy first. Damn Alice for having that stupid party. Damn the stupid idiot who spiked the drinks. Damn them all!

I glanced into the mirror. I looked pretty much the same, except I looked a bit _bigger_ in the...chest...area. Stupid Edward! Now that my bras probably aren't going to fit me much longer, the rest of my clothes will probably follow soon. Sighing, I got dressed and hurried down the stairs.

Esme, Carlisle, and Edward sat at the breakfast table. They were all talking and laughing as they buttered their toast. Lovely. The perfect family. Minus me, of course. The sullen, pregnant teenager would ruin the picture.

"Bella, can you please come here?" Carlisle's voice was stern. Great. I met him last night, and he already had that 'I don't like punishing you, but I have to' face on. "Listen, Bella. I know this probably doesn't seem right to you—I mean we just met last night." It was like he read my mind. "—but you still shouldn't have talked to your mother the way you did yesterday. She was pretty upset."

That was it. "Listen, _Carlisle_. I know that it made her upset. But _still_, it doesn't matter how I feel, _does_ it. I was kind of upset too. I mean, Mom tells me, after _months_ of dates, that she has a boyfriend—no not a boyfriend, a fiancé—and that they're going to get married. I mean, that is _not_ going to upset me at _all_."

"I know, Bella. This probably is difficult on you. However, that is no reason to ruin everyone else's life."

"So what you're saying is...it's okay for other people to ruin my life, but it's not okay for me to return the favor?"

"Bella—"

"No, Carlisle. I don't _care_ anymore. I'm leaving. I'll go to Alice's, or Rosalie and Jasper's, or even Emmett's. But I'm not staying here. Not anymore. You and Edward are the worst things to happen to this place." Then I got up, and hurried to my room. I packed some necessities, and a couple sets of clothes, but I wasn't really picky. Alice loved to shop for me. Anyway, it wasn't like this stuff was going to fit me much longer.

"Bye," I said, as soon as I got downstairs. I barely stopped to look at my mother's tearstained face, Carlisle consoling her, or Edward sitting there with his head in his hands. The perfect family was no more. The pregnant girl ruined everything. I knew it.

"Bells, wait," my mother begged. I ignored her, and got into my truck. I drove for a few minutes, then stopped in front of the supermarket. I didn't feel like going any farther. I was too tired to drive, and my head was hurting. I parked in the back of the parking lot and rested my head against the steering wheel. I felt my cell phone buzz in my pocket, but I ignored it. There was no point picking it up—I knew it was my mother, asking me to come home.

I don't know how long I stayed there. The headache wouldn't go away. I knew that the best thing to do would be to rest in a bed, and drink something. But where could I go? I wasn't going home—I knew that for certain.

After a while, Emmett tapped on my window. I ignored it. He tapped again. The noise was irritating my head. I attempted to open the truck's window, but it didn't work. Abandoning that effort, I opened the door.

"What do you want, Emmett?" I asked.

"Bella! Everyone's been searching for you. When you didn't pick up the phone, your mom called more than half of the town searching for you. She called Alice, and Rose and Jasper, and Jessica, and Angela, and a million other people. Pretty much, she went through the local phone book, and called everyone." He looked at my expression for a moment. "Bella, are you feeling okay?"

"No," I confessed. "My head hurts really bad, and I feel so tired I can barely move."

"Are you sick?" he asked. "Or is it just the...you know...?" He trailed off.

"I don't know for sure, Em, but I think it's just the...kid. I think that you get headaches when you're stressed out."

"What happened?" Emmett inquired, still curious.

"Can I talk later?" I asked. "I kind of don't feel like talking much."

Emmett nodded. "Listen, you shouldn't be sitting here like this. Do you think you can walk to my Jeep? It's only a few feet away."

"No, I don't think I can move. I might pass out, or something."

"I'll carry you," he decided. He scooped me up in his arms, and put me into the passenger side of his car easily. His phone rang. He seemed to be getting a text. It was from Jasper. It said:

did u find b? looked dr's office. no luck. wat abt u?

He replied:

yea, got her. found her the supermarket. meet u alice's. let evry1 else kno

"Let's go, Bella," Emmett said as he pulled out of the parking lot. His phone buzzed again. It was Alice. He talked to her while driving one-handedly. "Yeah...I know...I'm not completely stupid...Yes, I know I need to be careful with her...Hell, I _know_ she's pregnant...I think she's sick...She was sitting there with her head against the steering wheel...She said it was hurting...Yeah...I'm bringing her to your house now...Uh-huh...So you and Rose can decide what to do...Take her to a doctor or whatever...Yeah, I told Jazz...he texted me a few minutes ago...Yeah, I told him to tell everyone...Ummm, good point...You call Jazz, and see what you can do...Yeah, I'll bring Bella, no big deal...Bye." He put down the phone, and then we sat in silence. I think I fell asleep.

I awoke to the sound of a siren. A police car had stopped us on the side of the road. "Crap," Emmett whispered.

"What's going on?" the cop asked. "You were fifty miles over the speed limit."

"Um..." You could tell Emmett was doing some quick thinking. "Well, my girlfriend and I were going out for brunch, but then she said that she wasn't feeling too well, and so I wanted to take her back home as quickly as possible."

"Why the rush, though? I can forgive maybe ten, fifteen miles over, but you were _fifty _miles over."

"Yeah," Emmett looked uncomfortable. "Well, she's pregnant, and I didn't want to take any chances."

"She don't look pregnant," the cop replied.

"It's early, but I still don't want to risk anything," Emmett said confidently.

"Let me see your license," the cop said. He examined it for a few minutes before making a decision. "Listen. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. You get off with a warning this time, but if I catch you again, you can kiss your license goodbye."

"Right. Thank you, officer," Emmett boomed. "Let's get you home, dear," he said, laughing as he put his arm around me.

"Stop," I whined, and he let go immediately. We drove the rest of the way, to Alice's house, in silence.

"Bella!" a relieved voice cried out, as soon as the car pulled into the drive. It was Esme. I saw her red, puffy eyes, and knew that she'd been crying.

I stepped out of the car, awkwardly, and hugged her. "Mom! I'm so sorry. I haven't been feeling too good lately, and that whole surprise thing last night just pushed me over the top." It wasn't too far from the truth.

"Bella, I was so worried! You just walked out, and then we all didn't know what to do! I called everyone I could think of, and then Carlisle took me as many places as he dared go, but I had no news until a few minutes ago, when Jasper called. He said that you would be here, and I should come."

"Wait a second...what do you mean by 'as many places he _dared _go?"

Esme looked very uncomfortable. "You see," she began, "I've been keeping a secret from you, Bella. Carlisle proposed to me about a month ago. After I told him."

"Told him what?"

"That I was pregnant."

"Wait, what!"

"Bella, calm down. I had just found out, and I didn't know what to do. I told Carlisle the night you went to that party, and he asked me to marry him that very night. He said that he'd been intending to propose, but the information speeded up his decision. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier."

"Mom, are you serious?" I did the math in my head very quickly. This meant that my half-sister or brother would be about a month older than my son or daughter. _Crap!_

"Why would I be lying?" She assessed the look on my face. "I'm sorry to have sprung this on you like this, but I had to explain. I don't want you to be mad at me forever."

"Does Edward know?"

"No. Carlisle didn't tell him. I asked him not to."

"Why not?"

"I didn't want to tell you guys until later. Not a very good example, you know."

"It's okay, Mom, I understand." Of course I understood. I was in the same freaking situation, except I couldn't get married and fix everything.

"Is there something you want to tell me, Bella?" she asked. Damn. It was like she freaking knew already.

"No," I answered. "I told you everything there is to know already."

She smiled, as Alice, Rosalie, and Jasper hurried over. "Bella!" Alice shouted. "There you are. We were so worried."

"What is there to worry about?" I asked, while giving her a significant look.

"Oh, you know. Esme said that you were probably going to come to one of our houses, and you never showed up or called or anything."

I nodded absentmindedly. "Listen, can we talk?"

"Sure," Alice said. "We can go to my room." Rosalie, Jasper, and Emmett followed. Edward blocked our path once we got in the house.

"Whatever you're talking about, I want to hear," he said quickly and quietly.

"What?" I asked.

"I have a right, you know?" he said cockily.

"So do I," I replied. "A right to privacy. Now leave me alone!"

"Wow, Bella," Emmett commented once we were inside Alice's room with the door locked. "Didn't know you had it in you."

"And _what_ exactly are you talking about?" I asked, letting some acidity seep into my voice.

"Never thought you could stick up for yourself. When exactly did you grow a spine?"

I was angry. This wasn't fair. "Since I got _pregnant!_ Or found out, anyway. You know, since I'm going to have to take care of another life, I might as well start with my own!"

"Calm down, Bella," Rosalie said soothingly. "Emmett, she's tired. She should rest. I don't think she's eaten anything, either."

"Jasper, go make her a sandwich. She should have some lunch. And get her some orange juice to drink. She should get some calcium, too," Alice commanded.

"Why can't I make her food?" Emmett whined.

"Because you'd mess it up," Rosalie snapped. "Now leave the room, Emmett! Bella needs to rest, and she won't get it with you around."

"Fine," he agreed grudgingly.

(Edward's POV)

After Bella told me to leave her alone, I went to the family room and sulked. Esme and Carlisle walked over to me.

"Are you alright?" Carlisle inquired.

"No, Dad, I'm not. Bella won't let me do anything about the baby. Jasper and Emmett can help her, but I can't."

Esme's face was thoughtful. "I still can't believe that Bella is having a baby. It doesn't seem like the kind of thing she'd do. She's normally very modest, not the type to hook up at a party. The poor girl." I felt guilty. I hadn't told anyone that the drinks were spiked and Bella was drunk. It would make me look like a pervert. But when Bella ran away, I had gotten worried enough to tell Carlisle and Esme about her...um...situation, at least. They promised not to tell her, so she probably wouldn't get too upset.

Carlisle looked uncomfortable. "I'm not that surprised that Edward has done this," he said. "His father died in a car crash two years ago, and his mother died of cancer a few months afterward. I was the doctor who treated Elizabeth Masen, his mother, and he looked really upset, so I adopted him afterward. But he always had a problem with girls. It was like he took his sadness out on them. I got him many counselors to talk to instead, but it was never enough. I'm really sorry, Esme."

Esme looked shocked. She caressed Carlisle's hand. "You did everything you could." Then she looked at me with a sad smile. "I had no idea, Edward." Then she sighed. "But who knows? Maybe the baby will help you with your loss."

Then Jasper and Emmett were hurrying through the family room towards the kitchen. "It's _so_ unfair," Emmett was saying. "How come Rose and Alice can stay. I want to stay, too. And I was the one who found Bella. Doesn't that count for _any_thing? And then they say that you get to make the sandwich and not me. I mean, I am _wounded_. Just because I spend more time lifting weights than watching Food Network, everyone thinks I can't cook. But the thing is, I _can_! I am very versatile. That means skilled at many things, by the way. You'll see. In a few years, I am going to be the next Rachael Ray. Or the next John Cena. You'll see. _That'll_ show Alice and Rose. I mean..." It all sounded like a bunch of rambling to me. Jasper's thoughts seemed to be in accordance with mine; he was just nodding along, not paying attention to any of Emmett's words. As they walked into the kitchen, Emmett's voice faded away.

(Later That Evening)

Esme and Carlisle had gone home, along with Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper. Emmett and Rosalie apparently had some date, and Jasper had to go home with Rosalie since he rode over in her car. Everyone else, who had helped look for Bella, had gone home too. Emmett and Jasper had gotten Bella's car, after they gave her lunch, and taken it home for her. This left her no choice but to ride home with me. Everyone agreed that we needed to talk in a setting where one of us couldn't storm off. We all knew that 'one of us' meant Bella.

While I was waiting, my phone buzzed in my pocket. It was Tanya, my girlfriend back in California. I had tried to break up with her before we left, but she insisted that we could make a long-distance relationship work, so we tried. I realized that I hadn't thought about her in a long time. Ever since I found out about Bella being pregnant, I hadn't thought about Tanya that much.

I flipped open the phone and put it to my ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, Eddie. Miss me?" I winced as she said 'Eddie.' She knew I hated that stupid nickname, yet she insisted on using it all of the time. According to her, it was 'cute.'

"Hi, Tanya. Of _course_ I missed you. You're my girlfriend!" I hope she didn't catch the lie.

"So what have you been up to lately?"

"Nothing. Carlisle and I have just been settling in."

"Any new _friends_?" Her voice was thick with implications.

"No. But I think that will change when school starts in September."

"Right. Well when are you coming back to California, Eddie? I miss you. I _want _you. It's feels so strange to be alone every night."

"Tanya, I wanted to talk to you about that."

"What?"

"I don't think we can do that anymore."

"Why not?" This would be the perfect opportunity to tell her about Bella.

"Um...the whole long-distance thing will make it too hard." Great, I chickened out.

"Eddie...you and I made a promise. We _will_ stay together."

"I know, Tanya, but that was then, and right now, it doesn't seem like it will work out."

"Eddie, you promised you would _try_!"

"I _did_ try, Tanya, and it isn't working. I'm sorry." I felt like a piece of shit right now. It was obvious that my carelessness had hurt not only Bella, but Tanya too.

"Eddie, how can you do this to me!!!" she wailed. "IRINA!!!!" she shouted. Irina was Tanya's older sister. Her _hot_ older sister. The phone clicked off. I could only imagine what was going on.

[IN SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA]

Tanya sobbed into Irina's shoulders. "He told me I was special," she blubbered. "He said he loved me. He said he would always be there for me. He had sex with me, knowing that I only wanted to have sex with one person, the one I'd spend my life with! He betrayed me!!! How could he do this?"

"Shhh, Tanya, it'll be okay," Irina comforted. "I'm going to get that no good man-whore back for this, if it's the last thing I do."

[BACK TO PHOENIX, ARIZONA]

Bella came down a few minutes after I put the phone away. "What happened?" she asked, as she saw me sitting there with my head in my hands.

"I'm trying to figure out what to tell my girlfriend on the weekend when we go to California to pick up our stuff," I explained, without thinking about how Bella would take it.

"So you mean to say that you _had_ a girlfriend, who you cheated on with _me_, and you're trying to figure out how to tell her you're going to be a _dad_!"

"Well, you see, it's a bit more complicated than that."

"Yes, what could possibly be more complicated than having a baby?"

"Bella, listen! The reason I waited today is because I wanted to talk to you about that."

"There's nothing to talk about. I make all the decisions, you agree. End of discussion."

"Bella, what if I'm sorry?"

"What if I don't care?"

Okay, this was getting to be too much. I had to get her to listen somehow.

"What if I do this?" I asked. Then I swooped down and kissed her. She stared at me, speechless. I felt a stinging pain on my cheek; she had slapped me. "Nice backhand," I said, not knowing what I should say. "You play tennis?"

"You _retard_!" she yelled. "How could you do that to me? You know I absolutely _despise_ you, and you still kiss me? Forget it, I'm not going home tonight. I'll stay here. Alice won't mind."

"No, Bella, I'm sorry," I apologized. "I was just trying to get your attention."

"Yeah," she scoffed. "Like you were at the party."

"Believe it or not, the sex was to get your attention," I whispered. "You looked like the kind of person who wanted it, so I gave it to you."

"I knew that hooker dress was a bad idea," Bella muttered.

Pretending I hadn't heard her, I continued, "You were the most beautiful person I had ever seen. I forgot about Tanya, about convention, about anything and everything except you. Bella, I fell in love with you." There. It was out.

Bella laughed. "Edward, you are a really good liar. I was almost convinced that you were telling the truth, for a second there."

I felt hurt. "It was the truth," I protested.

"It's better to quit while you're ahead," Bella laughed. Then she smiled. "You know what? That was actually kind of funny. And I'm in a good mood now. So I will discuss this thing with you on the way home. Let me just get my bag."

"Wait there," I instructed. I ran upstairs and found Bella's bag in the guest room, still completely packed. I took it downstairs and handed it to Bella. "You should rest as much as possible."

"Wow," Bella said smiling. "That was actually...gentlemanlike. Thank you."

(Bella POV)

"Rose, Alice, Esme is pregnant, too."

"What!" they said at the same time.

"That's why she got engaged to Carlisle without telling me. She had just found out, and she told him, and you know the rest."

"So what are you going to do about your baby?" Alice asked. "Adoption, maybe?"

"Don't be silly," Rose contradicted. "Bella wants to keep her baby. _Don't_ you, Bella."

I stared into both of their confident faces. If I agreed with Alice, Rosalie could ruin my entire reputation at school. But if I agreed with Rosalie, Alice would feel betrayed. We had been best friends since preschool. I decided to go with a cryptic answer.

"I don't really know. I _want_ to keep it, but adoption is definitely the more sensible choice, since I'm still in high school, and all that. But I really think I should talk to Edward. Now that I've gotten the whole yelling at him part down, I _should_ talk to him."

I noticed Alice and Rosalie exchange significant looks, loaded with meaning.

"What?" I asked.

"Well, um, do you think you could possibly, well, _like_ Edward?" Alice asked.

"What!! I _hate_ him! He knocked me up, remember?"

"I know, Bella, but hate always turns to love in those sappy romances you love to read. Maybe there's something true in all that," Rosalie pointed out.

"I'm tired. As soon as Jasper brings me food, I'm going to sleep."

--------

When I got up a few hours later, I felt a little bit better.

"How are you?" Alice asked. She didn't mention our argument at all.

"Better, I guess. Where _is_ everyone?"

"Rose and Emmett had a date, so they left. Jasper had to leave with them, because he rode over with Rose. Your parents were tired after this morning's search, so they left. Edward stayed to drive you home, because we took your truck back. Oh, and Esme said that you _have to _go home. She told my parents to make sure you went home with Edward."

"Alice, why did you think that I liked Edward, you know, earlier?"

"I don't know, Bella. It was just that Rosalie and I know that you never slept with anyone before. Even when guys asked you out, you said no. But you still slept with Edward. Why would you do that if you weren't interested in him?"

"Because I was _drunk_!"

"Okay, Bella, I see your point. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Alice."

"Come on. You should go home. Esme will worry."

"Yeah. I'll go down."

"Should I walk you out?"

"No. Go call Jasper, like I know you want to."

"Thank you, Bella."

I went downstairs, and saw Edward sitting on the sofa with his head in the hands. "What happened?" I asked.

"I'm trying to figure out what to tell my girlfriend on the weekend when we go to California to pick up our stuff."

Girlfriend? What girlfriend? "So you mean to say that you _had_ a girlfriend, who you cheated on with _me_, and you're trying to figure out how to tell her you're going to be a _dad_!"

"Well, you see, it's a bit more complicated than that."

More complicated? Yeah, right. "Yes, what could possibly be more complicated than having a baby?"

"Bella, listen! The reason I waited today is because I wanted to talk to you about that."

Of course. He wants to talk. More like rape me again. "There's nothing to talk about. I make all the decisions, you agree. End of discussion."

"Bella, what if I'm sorry?"

"What if I don't care?" Okay, I know that was a bit harsh, but he deserved it.

"What if I do this?" he asked. He leaned over, and pressed his lips onto mine. I was right. He wanted to rape me again. Well he wasn't going to get away with it this time. I slapped him with all of the force I could muster. "Nice backhand," Edward commented. "You play tennis?"

"You _retard_!" I yelled. "How could you do that to me? You know I absolutely _despise_ you, and you still kiss me? Forget it, I'm not going home tonight. I'll stay here. Alice won't mind." Esme will, though.

"No, Bella, I'm sorry," he apologized. "I was just trying to get your attention."

"Yeah," I scoffed. "Like you were at the party." Who gets attention by kissing?

"Believe it or not, the sex was to get your attention," he whispered. "You looked like the kind of person who wanted it, so I gave it to you."

"I knew that hooker dress was a bad idea," I mumbled. I hated that dress.

He went on to say, "You were the most beautiful person I had ever seen. I forgot about Tanya, about convention, about anything and everything except you. Bella, I fell in love with you."

Okay, now that was funny. "Edward, you are a really good liar. I was almost convinced that you were telling the truth, for a second there."

"It was the truth," he whined.

"It's better to quit while you're ahead." So he could be funny when he wanted to be. "You know what? That was actually kind of funny. And I'm in a good mood now. So I will discuss this thing with you on the way home. Let me just get my bag."

"Wait there," he instructed. He ran upstairs and got me the bag. "You should rest as much as possible," he told me when he came down the stairs.

"Wow." I smiled. "That was actually...gentlemanlike. Thank you." Maybe Edward wasn't that bad after all.

(In the Car)

"Bella, what do you want to do?"

"About?"

"The baby."

"I know one thing for sure."

"And what's that?"

"Hold on, I'm getting to it."

"_Fine_."

"I want to have the baby. I can't get rid of it."

"Is it going to be adopted?"

"I don't know. I _want_ to keep it, you know, because I somehow love the kid already. But the smart thing is definitely to get the baby adopted, because we are too young to be able to take care of it properly."

"Maybe you should talk to Esme. She can help you."

"I'm not telling her anything. She has enough to deal with."

"Huh?"

"She has to prepare for the wedding, and she has to...um...take care of herself."

"Why does she need to do that?"

"She's pregnant too."

"What!!!"

"Calm down, Edward."

"When's she due?"

"About a month before me."

"Damn, Bella. What did I do?"

**A/N: There it is! You know, I probably would have updated last week if I had gotten more reviews, because if I get more reviews, then I feel really guilty if I leave my readers hanging for too long...Just a thought...**


	10. Secret

(Edward POV)

"Edward, we really have to get this straightened out," Bella said urgently.

"What is there to straighten out?" I _really_ didn't want to be a part of this conversation.

"How do I find someone to adopt the baby?"

"I'm sure your mother would know," I replied curtly.

"I don't _want_ her to know," Bella said. "I want to find a home for the baby, and then tell her, so that she thinks I'm being responsible about this, and so I don't get in that much trouble."

"It's a bit too late for her to start thinking you're responsible," I told her.

"And how is that _my _fault!" Bella yelled. "I didn't want to drink! The drinks were spiked and I didn't know! I didn't want to have sex, either. But did you care?"

"You didn't stop me," I muttered.

"Of course I didn't. I was _drunk_. But before, when you kissed me, I pushed you away. I didn't want you to kiss me. Maybe I didn't want to sleep with you either."

"You could have been playing hard-to-get," I retaliated. "You were asking for it, you know it! Why else would you wear a fucking dress with less material than a fucking bathing suit?" Damn, this girl made me furious.

"Don't you remember me telling you, at the party, that I didn't want to wear that? That Alice made me wear it?"

"Well, you could have been lying. You could have chosen that dress wanting someone to screw you. Then, when you got pregnant, you're looking for any excuse to pin the blame on anyone other than yourself, whore."

Maybe that was a bit too much. Bella turned her head away, and I could hear her crying, even if I couldn't see the tears. It sounded so hopeless, so forlorn, that all of my anger evaporated, and was replaced with guilt. I felt guilty a lot these days.

"Bella. Bella, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry."

"Stop the car," she commanded. "I'm going to walk home."

"No, Bella," I said, pressing the button that locked the doors.

"Let me out."

"No."

"If you don't let me go, I'm going to...I'm going to...scream. I'm going to yell that someone needs to call the police, because you're kidnapping me."

"You're a horrible liar. It would never work."

"Would too."

"Would not."

"Would too."

"Would not."

Bella huffed. "You know what, Edward? Just shut that stupid mouth of yours, and drive as quickly as possible, so that I can go home as soon as possible."

"Fine." I turned my eyes to the road, and drove home. As soon as the car stopped, and I had unlocked the doors, Bella had opened her door, taken her bag out of the backseat, and walked inside without a backwards glance. I had taken one step forward, and then two steps backward. This was perfect.

I locked my car, and stepped out, when I heard someone.

"Hey, you!" I turned around. The voice belonged to a short, black-haired girl standing at the edge of the driveway.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I'm Jessica Stanley. Who are you?"

"Edward Cullen."

"Where are you from? I haven't ever seen you here before."

"San Diego."

"Are you, like, Bella's boyfriend or something?"

"No."

"Oh. Because I was thinking it was _about _time Bella got her first boyfriend. But if you're not her boyfriend, you can be mine." First boyfriend? Bella never even had a boyfriend? And now she would be a mom. I _really_ screwed up her life.

"No, I don't think that would work. I'm not really interested in dating right now."

"You don't need to date me. You can just come over at night. My parents are out of town for the rest of the week."

"No, thanks. I said I don't want to date."

"If you're not dating Bella, why are you here?"

"I'm her future stepbrother."

"Why is she mad at you? I've never seen her that angry in my entire life."

"I'm not her boyfriend. I just got her pregnant, all right!" I clapped my hand over my mouth. The girl was annoying me. I know Bella didn't want me to tell anyone about the baby, but it just slipped out. It was kind of sad that I couldn't tell my girlfriend...no ex-girlfriend...but I could tell any random stranger on the street. Anyway, how much harm could one person do?

"Ohmigod, you're the one who Bella hooked up with at Alice's party!" Okay, so maybe telling her _was _a bad idea.

"Wait until Tyler hears about Bella, the Ice Princess, getting pregnant by her brother! And Eric and Katie would _kill _for this gossip. I wonder if Angela knows? And Rosalie? Alice probably knows; they're best friends. Hmmm, maybe I could tell Leah, and Seth too, and..."

Damn, the girl was already mass-texting on her cell phone.

"I have to go," I said, excusing myself. Jessica didn't seem to have noticed.

(Bella POV)

_Edward is the most annoying person alive, _I thought. _He's acting as if I wanted to get knocked up by him. I wish..._

A knock on the door startled me out of my reverie. It was Esme. "Bella dear, is everything alright?"

"Yes, Mom, everything's fine."

"You looked really upset when you came in just now."

"I wanted to stay at Alice's tonight."

"Bella, honey, I need your help in planning the wedding. You can have as many sleepovers as you want as soon as the preparations are done."

"Mom, that will take _months_."

"Is that a problem?" Again. It was like she _knew. _

"No, not a problem."

"Good. We'll be going to a boutique tomorrow to try on dresses."

"_Mom!_ I'm _tired!_"

"Then you should be getting to sleep."

Damn! Why couldn't anyone leave me alone? First it was Edward in the car, and now it was Esme. Someone knocked at my door.

"Go away, Carlisle!" I shouted. There was no one else left, in the house, to piss me off. It _must_ be Carlisle.

"I'm not Carlisle," the knocker said.

"Go away, Edward," I yelled. "I don't want to talk to you."

"Well, there's something I think I should tell you," he replied. "I was talking to someone on the driveway, and I kind of let it slip that I got you pregnant."

_WHAT!!!_ I jumped out of bed, and ran to the door, whipping it open. "Who?"

"It was a girl, about your age, I think. She was short, had black hair, and she talked a lot. I think she said her name was...Jessica...something. I can't remember her last name."

Jessica _knew_? That was it. My reputation was officially in the toilet. "What else did you tell her?" I demanded.

"Nothing...well...she asked who I was, and I told her I was your future stepbrother."

"Did she do anything after you told her that?" Please tell me she didn't believe it. Please tell me she didn't believe it. Please—

"She took out her phone and mass-texted a bunch of people." Who was I kidding? Jessica would believe anything, as long as it was a good topic for gossip.

"Edward, do you realize what this means? I worked for years to get a decent reputation in this place, and you had to go ruin that in one shot! How could you?!"

"Bella, I'm sorry," he whispered.

"It isn't enough anymore. It never _was _enough. Saying sorry can't change the past."

"But it can change the future," Edward argued, grabbing my hands. "Bella, I wish I hadn't spoken to you the way I did in the car. It was wrong, and I should have never treated you like that. I was upset, I didn't think, I was in denial. I was so upset, I didn't think about what I was saying to Jessica until it was too late. Bella, I don't want to be your enemy. If you'd just let me help you, I could—"

"So you're trying to pin this on _me_ again?!" I shouted. How could he have the _nerve_?

"No, Bella, I...You're taking this the wrong way!"

"So this is my fault again?!" I yelled. "Leave me alone, Edward, I have a lot going on tomorrow." With that, I slammed the door in his face and collapsed on my bed. What was I going to do about Jessica? Then I thought about Rosalie. Rose was popular, too. She'd be the best person for damage control.

I picked up my cell phone, and was just dialing Rose's number, when it started to ring. It was Rosalie. "Hey, Rose, I was just about to call you."

"Hey, Bella. Jessica Stanley just sent me a text that you got pregnant by your brother. How do you think she found out?"

"That's what I was about to call you about. Edward just came in here and told me that Jessica was outside the house for some reason, and he let it slip. What can we do?"

"Bella, I was thinking...Edward admitted that he was the father of your baby, and no one will doubt that, especially when they see you. Moving away won't work, because then everyone will _know._ So, the only thing left to do is to create an even bigger gossip topic."

"What could be bigger than me having a baby with my _brother_?"

"I could be pregnant. I'm more popular, so it'd be a bigger deal."

"When a baby doesn't show up, everyone's going to know you lied."

"That's the thing, Bella. I don't know how to tell you this, but...I'm...also having a baby."

"Rose! Stop joking! I don't want to hear this!"

"Bella, I know it probably seems like a joke, but it isn't. Emmett and I fooled around at Alice's party, too. Emmett used a condom, so I didn't think anything would happen, but lately I've been thinking about it a lot. You see, my period didn't come and I was thinking maybe the condom broke or something like that. When I went out with Emmett tonight, I got a pregnancy test, and...and it was positive. Bella, I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing to me?" Jeez, all of these apologies were getting to me.

"Because I know it isn't fair to compare my situation to yours."

"Huh?"

"You know, I'm having the baby with my boyfriend, who _will _help me, and you're having it with you stepbrother."

"Damn, Rose. I didn't even _think_ about that until you brought it up."

"Oh. Anyway, Bella, I have to go. And as for the rumor situation, well, I'll find an indirect way to tip Jessica off, about my pregnancy, so that she gets off of your case. Okay?"

"Yeah, Rose. Bye."

"Bye."

***The Next Morning***

I awoke to the blaring of my alarm clock. Getting up slowly, I got dressed, brushed my teeth, and went downstairs for breakfast..

"Good morning, Bella," Esme chirped happily. "How are you this fine morning?"

"Just great, Mom. Who set my alarm for six o'clock?" I replied groggily.

"I did, Bella. The wedding's in October, so we should really get going, if we want everything to be in order."

"We have _three months_, Mom."

"So? I want everything to be perfect, with time to spare."

"Mom, I don't want to get up this early. It's summer."

"You shouldn't have slept as late as you did," Esme replied. "Anyway, speaking of last night, why were you and Edward arguing? We could hear you yelling all the way downstairs. What was the argument about?"

"Nothing, Mom. He was getting on my nerves, that's all."

Esme noticed my untouched bowl of cereal, and said, "Hurry up, Bella. We don't want to be too late getting out. I have an appointment at the dress shop."

"Why do you need an appointment?"

"There's going to be a salesperson waiting, who will take measurements, and then suggest dress colors and styles for us. Isn't that exciting?" Measurements? The question is, would those measurements still apply in October at the time of the wedding.

"Who else will be there?"

"Just us two."

"No bridesmaids, anything...?"

"No. Carlisle and I have decided to have a small wedding. You're the only one who needs to get fitted for a dress besides me. You will walk down the aisle with Edward. That's it. No one else will follow or precede you, besides us. Carlisle and Edward are going to buy tuxes today, as a matter of fact. When we come back, we will decide on a venue for the reception." _Buy _tuxes? Carlisle must be really rich.

"So you know where the actual wedding will be?"

"Carlisle's father is a minister, so we will have the wedding at his church."

"And you'll get married by his father?"

"Of course. Isn't that wonderful?"

"Oh yeah. Definitely."

**A/N: By the way, I had been told that the last chapter, Chapter 9, was a bit confusing to some people. I'm sorry about that, if you found it confusing, and I probably will go back and edit the entire story when I am done, so there's no need to worry about that. **


	11. Confusion

**Bella POV**

The ride to the boutique seemed to take forever. I fell asleep somewhere in the middle, only to be awakened by Esme when we were nearly there. "Wake up, Bella, we're here!" Esme announced loudly.

"How about you go inside and look for your dress, and I'll come inside when I'm all caught up on sleep?" I asked groggily.

Esme laughed. "Very funny, Bella, but you're coming in with me. Our appointment is for seven-thirty, and it's seven-twenty-five right now."

"Why did you need to get such an early appointment, anyway?"

"All of the other available times were after six in the afternoon, and we wouldn't have had enough time to find nice dresses then. The store closes at seven-thirty."

"Mom, couldn't we bring Alice here? She knows my size, and she can make adjustments really well. She would know exactly what to buy. Why did I have to come?"

"Honey, you let Alice dictate everything you wear. Leave this to the professionals."

"Alice _is_ a professional."

"I'll believe that when she's a successful fashion designer living in a New York City penthouse. Now come on. We're going to be late."

The saleslady assessed Esme and me after taking all of the necessary measurements.

"We have some maternity wedding dresses," she said. "You can pick one that you like." She called another salesperson, who took Esme to the appropriate area of the store. "Now," she said, looking at me. "You would look good in a dark color, maybe blue, but definitely something tight along the waist. Come with me. We'll find a dress you like." Something tight? In October, that dress would have no chance of fitting me. What had I gotten myself into?

"My name is Denise, by the way," the saleslady said conversationally. "You would look best in a blue, definitely. Follow me, please."

The part of the boutique where the lady took me was covered in blue—fabric, dresses, patterns, mannequins, carpeting, walls, everything was blue. She showed me some dresses. They were all very pretty, and I would have loved to wear any of them, except they wouldn't fit me at the time of the wedding. Denise shoved a soft, silky dress with blue embroidery along the hem and neck over my head.

"Gorgeous," she breathed.

I could barely breathe in that. I could see that it _did_ look beautiful, but it would have absolutely no chance of fitting in October if it just barely fit now.

"What do you think?" Denise asked.

"It's okay," I replied. "Just a little tight." Denise started going on about how that was in vogue, and how it looked good, and how it was supposed to be that way when I cut her off. "I don't want to wear something like this. I'd be afraid of ripping it."

Denise didn't argue after that. It was obvious that she venerated the dresses, and if I said that I might rip the dress she showed me, or spill something on it, she would put it back immediately, and then look for a new one. Eventually, she didn't even bother showing me anything long or extremely tight, but they were still tight.

I didn't know what to do. It was obvious I belonged in the maternity dress section with Esme, but what would she say when I turned up there? Maybe I should have just told her. Well, it wasn't too late. I might as well tell Denise, so that she could stop looking at tight dresses.

"Denise, I—"

"Look what I found. It'll look gorgeous on you!"

"It" was a long blue dress. It would be tight along my breasts, which used to be nonexistent, but were now visible. After that, it would fall loosely to the middle of my shins, approximately. One strap was a corsage of blue roses, and the other was a spaghetti strap. Alice could easily make adjustments to it in October so that it would fit.

"Do you like it?" Denise seemed confused by my long silence.

"Yes, it's...perfect," I whispered.

She looked relieved. "Let's go see if the bride likes it," she said, leading the way.

When we found Esme, she was wearing a floor-length white gown that was longer in the front than it was in the back. There were roses all over it, and the sleeves hung off of her shoulders, with two more spaghetti straps holding it up. When she saw what Denise was holding, she looked a bit disappointed.

"Do you like it?" I asked.

"Yes, the color is lovely," Esme said hesitantly.

There was an awkward silence that Denise broke, by saying, "Look, your dresses both have roses on them. Maybe that could be your theme."

Esme looked grateful for the change in topic. "That's a great idea!" she said happily. "Yes, that's what I'll do. I'll just have to talk to Carlisle..."

"That's settled, then," Denise said. "Come on, we need to make final measurements."

As she looked at the dress, and measured areas that needed alterations, I was thinking about whether or not Alice would be able to fix it later. My phone started ringing after a few minutes. It was Carlisle.

"Hello, Carlisle."

"Hey, Bella, listen, Esme called a while back, and I was talking to someone about work, so I wasn't able to pick up. I tried calling her back, but I don't think she heard the phone. Do you know where she is?"

"Yeah, but I can't go right now. I'm in the middle of a fitting."

"Do you have any idea what she wanted to say?"

"I can't be sure, but I think she wanted a rose theme for the wedding."

"I like the idea. Where did she get it, do you know?"

"Yeah. My bridesmaid dress and her maternity wedding dress both had designs with roses on them, and that's where she got the idea for the theme."

"Did you just say _maternity_ wedding dress?"

"Yeah. She won't fit into a normal one when the wedding comes, right?"

"What are you talking about?"

"She was pregnant. Isn't that why you proposed to her?"

"No! Who told you this?"

"Mom did!"

"Listen, Bella, I don't know what kind of a joke you're trying to play here, but it isn't funny. I'll see you when you get home. And when you see your mother, ask her to call me." With that, Carlisle hung up.

That was strange, though. Why would Esme tell me that she's pregnant when she really isn't? And why would she spend all of her time looking at maternity dresses when she wasn't pregnant? Most importantly, why did she lie? I needed some answers.

While I was waiting for Esme to finish with her dress, I called Alice.

"Hello?"

"Hey Alice, it's me."

"Bella! What's up?"

"Esme has me in some boutique looking for a dress for the wedding."

"What color? I'll get you some shoes to go with it!"

I rolled my eyes. "Alice, this is my mother's wedding .Let her do some of the work. Anyway, I called about the dress. Do you think you could adjust it, when the wedding comes, so that it fits properly?"

"Describe it for me. Material and length."

"The top part is made of satin—that part is only over my boobs, though—and the rest of it is made of that sheer stuff, like on Rose's dress for your party. I'm not sure what it's called. It's pretty long, about two or three inches below my knees."

"Anything else?"

"I don't know. How about I take a picture on my cell phone, and you can just look at that for anything else you need?"

"Fair enough. By the way, from your description, I think I could fix it up. It'll take a while, but it's doable."

"Thank you, Alice, I really owe you."

"So, where is your mother at the moment. Has she found a good maternity wedding dress. There aren't too many places where you can get those."

"You know, Alice, I was talking to Carlisle a few minutes back, and I mentioned that, and he didn't seem to know about Esme being pregnant."

"But that's ridiculous. Isn't that why he proposed in the first place? Because she was pregnant?"

"That's what I thought. It doesn't make sense."

"Maybe you should confront her about it. What do you think?"

"I want to talk to her, but I'm afraid that the subject of _my_ pregnancy will turn up in the middle of all that."

"Yeah. But maybe it's time to tell her."

"Alice! What are you talking about?"

"It's been five weeks since the party, hasn't it? When my aunt was pregnant with my little cousin Cynthia, she went for her first doctor appointment at six weeks. Maybe you should go see a doctor, too."

"Alice, did you tell Rose the same thing?"

"What do you mean?"

"Rose got pregnant at your party too. She didn't tell you that?"

"No. But I suppose she's more comfortable telling you, since you're now in the same boat. But are you _sure_ it was at _my_ party? Rose goes to a lot of parties."

"That's what Rose said."

"Wow. I should stop having parties. This is really unexpected."

**Carlisle POV**

_Pregnant?_ No, that wasn't possible. Esme and I never did...well...anything of that nature. And I proposed to her because I wanted to. Not because she was...expecting. So where did Bella get that idea from? Thanks to Edward, I know that Bella's pregnant, and as a doctor, I have been keeping an eye on her, but there's only so much a surgeon can do. I have no experience with children, whatsoever. Even Edward was adopted. I stared at the cell phone in my hand, having just hung up on Bella. How could I have gotten into this mess? Esme and I never slept with each other....not in that way, at least.

"Dad, are you all right?" Edward asked me.

I returned my attention to the present. Edward and I had been fitted for tuxedos, and we were now looking for other items to wear at the wedding. We were fairly confident that Esme and Bella would use up the entire day shopping for dresses, shoes, and jewelry.

"Yes, Edward, I'm fine."

"I was wondering if you liked these cuff links. You said you wanted simple brass ones, and most of the ones here are either extremely elaborate or silver, except this set."

I examined the cuff links quietly, and I had to say I liked them. They were just brass squares, but that was enough to bring out the golden tints in my blue eyes. When people heard me say that I had golden tints in my eyes, they all thought that I was a freak. According to them, golden tints were for green eyes, like Edward's, thank you very much. However, I had been wearing a gold watch the day I met Esme, and she later confided in me that when she first saw me, she had thought that I was a god, because of how my eyes shone due to the gold in the watch. For our wedding, I wanted to bring out that same shine.

"Yes, Edward, these are perfect. Please ask the clerk to set it aside with all of our other things." He nodded and hurried off. Obedient boy. Except for the whole thing with Bella. I don't know what I'm going to do about that. Esme, well, she's more equipped to deal with the pregnancy since I am, since she had Bella. But Esme? How could she be pregnant of all things? I suppose there was only one way to know for sure.

I dialed her number on my cell phone, again, and this time she picked up. "Hey, Carlisle!" she chirped. "Sorry I couldn't pick up your call earlier. I was trying on a dress, and I didn't hear the phone. I was about to call you, actually. Bella sent me a text that you wanted to talk to me, so...why did you call?"

She sounded pretty excited, but I couldn't really be sure. People talked a lot when they were nervous too. But why would she be nervous? Unless...she actually was...pregnant.

Well, there was only one was to find out. "Esme...that dress you were trying on...that wouldn't happen to be a _maternity_ dress, would it?" My voice was thick with implications.

Esme hesitated. "You heard it from Bella, right?"

"Yes. But why wouldn't you tell me? According to her, I proposed to you when I found out that you were pregnant, and we both know that that wasn't the case. I had no idea. How could you hide something like this from me? How could you even _be_ pregnant? We never had sex!"

Esme sighed. "I know. But Bella doesn't. I was hoping that telling her that I was pregnant would convince her to tell me that she was. You see, Bella and I have always been very close, especially since her father was shot dead. And then we both started keeping secrets—me about having a boyfriend, and Bella about what really happened at the party. And I just...I don't know...I wanted that openness, that honesty back. And I was willing to do whatever I could to get it."

That was kind of sweet...in a twisted way...but I could see where she was coming from. "Esme, I personally think that you should have just talked to Bella. Lying to her will only make the situation more complicated when she finds out."

"I guess. But could you do me a favor?"

"Anything."

"Just...play along...with the whole pregnancy thing, until I can come up with a good way to tell Bella the truth."

"Okay, Esme. Bye. I love you."

"Love you, too."

**Bella POV**

Esme and I came home right before dinner. We brought a pizza, because Esme didn't have time to cook.

"Hey, you're home," Carlisle kissed Esme for a brief second. "Did you get everything done that you wanted to get done?"

"I did," I said angrily. "I'm going to call Rose. Don't disturb me."

I went in my room, only to find Edward going through my drawers. "What are you doing?" I snapped.

"I...um...I...wanted to know if there was...um...an ex-boyfriend of yours that I could...well...talk to."

"And why do you want to talk to one of _my_ boyfriends? Did you decide you're gay?"

"No. It's just that...I think...it would be easier to talk to you if...I could talk to another guy who...um...knew you."

"And what's wrong with the school phone book? Or asking Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, or Jasper?"

"They all hate me."

"No shit. Just get out of my room."

"Couldn't you tell me about a boyfriend?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I never had any. My closest guy friends are Emmett and Jasper, because they are dating my best friends, Alice and Rosalie. Now get out." I pointed at the door.

"Fine." Edward looked annoyed as he left.

I picked up my phone and dialed Rose's number.

"Hey, Rose."

"Hi, Bella. What's up?"

"We went dress shopping today. Did you tell your parents?"

"They're never here. I don't think they'd care if I did tell them. Bella, that's why I think you're _so_ lucky. You're worried that your parent will be mad at you, but the only reason they'll be upset is because they care about what happens to you. My parents are always going on cruises, or attending some kind of fancy party, that they barely have time for me. According to them, having a baby will be a good thing, because it'll give me company." I never realized that Rose's life was like that.

"I'm so sorry, Rose. I had no idea."

"It's not your fault, Bella. I'm just telling you to tell your mother, so that she can take care of you, the way my parents never did. And then things will work themselves out. You'll see."

"Rose, there was another thing I wanted to talk to you about."

"What?"

"Carlisle called me at the dress place today, and asked me to tell Esme to call him."

"There's nothing unusual about that."

"Wait, it gets better. I mentioned the maternity wedding dress that Esme's going to have to get, and Carlisle didn't seem to know that Esme was pregnant."

"But isn't that why he proposed in the first place?"

"That's what I thought. It doesn't make any sense, does it?"

"No. Maybe you should just talk to your mother. It's the only way that things are going to start to make sense again."

"I guess..."

**Rosalie POV**

After talking to Bella, I lay back on my bed and stared at the ceiling. Everything was wrong. I had lied to her about the condom breaking. I had lied to her about not wanting to get pregnant. I had lied to her about everything.

The truth was, that I had never been loved the way I should have been. My parents left me and Jasper with a nanny for most of our childhood. As soon as we turned thirteen, they got rid of the nanny, and left us to stay by myself. I lived in this huge mansion, with no one else in it. I did all of the cooking and cleaning by myself, because Jasper was always with Alice, on the phone with Alice, or doing something on his own somewhere. It was a horrible life. By the end of junior year, I was so sick and tired of being alone, that I seduced Emmett at Alice's party, and made sure he wouldn't have time to get out a condom. I felt bad for using him like that, but I couldn't help it.

I mean, Emmett did love me, but he wasn't always there at home or anything, like parents were supposed to be, but a baby would be there. And I would be there for him or her, because I didn't want to be like my mother or father. And Jasper loved me, but he preferred Alice's company to mine.

I suppose I was romanticizing the entire concept of teenage pregnancy, but I couldn't help it. I needed someone to be there for me. It wasn't fair. I felt so ashamed of myself, that I hadn't told Emmett, Alice, Jasper, or anyone about being pregnant. And I told Bella that I was having a baby, but I was lying to her about everything else.

I just wanted a bit of love. It wasn't that bad, was it?


	12. California

CHAPTER TWELVE: California

**Bella POV**

The rest of the week was uneventful. Carlisle went to work at the hospital. Esme worked on her interior decoration. Edward and I just hung around the house doing whatever. Until Friday.

I had slept pretty late on Friday, because there was a movie on TV that I had wanted to watch. It didn't concern me, because it was summer, and I could wake up whenever I wanted to. At least, that's what I thought.

"Wake up," Esme said, shaking me awake. I opened my eyes, reluctantly, only to see that it was still dark out.

"Get dressed," Esme ordered. "We're leaving in a few minutes."

"Where are we going?"

"San Diego. I already packed for you. Just get up, get dressed, and get in Carlisle's Mercedes."

"Why didn't you tell me about the trip last night?"

"I told you three days ago. I thought you would remember."

I had no recollection of this. "Are you sure, Mom?"

"Yes, Isabella, I'm sure. Now please get up and get dressed. We're leaving soon." Oh, well. At least I could get some sleep in the car.

---

By the time we arrived at Edward and Carlisle's old condo in San Diego, the sun was high in the sky. I couldn't wait to have lunch.

As Edward and I followed Esme and Carlisle into the condo, a guy with spiky blond hair hurried over, waving to us.

"Hey, Edward. Hey, Bella," he said.

"Who are you?" I asked, annoyed. I had barely gotten any sleep in the car, so I was in a horrible mood.

"I'm Mike, Edward's best friend."

"Oh," I said pushing past him into the condo. Any friend of Edward's was _so_ not a friend of mine.

"Hey, wait up!" Mike shouted, hurrying after me. 'Where are you going? We didn't get to talk to each other at all!"

"I don't want to talk to you," I replied angrily. "Leave me alone."

"Listen," Mike pleaded, panting as he tried to keep up with me. "Please don't be too harsh with Edward. What he's going through isn't easy, you know."

"And what exactly is he 'going through'?" I asked. Had Edward told Mike that...no way.

"My girlfriend was pregnant. Her name was Lauren. Before the whole thing, Lauren was the nicest person you could ever meet. She didn't say a mean thing to anybody. Then, when she realized that she was going to have a baby, she became all bitter and mean, and she broke up with me. She got rid of the baby. She didn't want it. The entire time, I was struggling with the news, and I really didn't support her. I didn't want the abortion, but I was still in shock, and I didn't tell her how I felt. By the time I realized what I was feeling, exactly, it was too late. The baby was gone, and Lauren had already started to regret her decision." Mike said all of this as quickly as he could, thinking that I would interrupt him if he didn't speak quickly enough.

"Okay, you got my attention," I told him dismissively. "But please explain to me what exactly Edward is 'going through.' It doesn't make any sense to me."

Mike pulled me over to a couch in the living room, and he talked quickly. "Edward called me a while ago, and he seemed to be in a bit of a panicky mood. As I talked to him, I could tell that something was wrong, and also that he was scared. But the most remarkable thing was how he talked about you. There was this thing in his voice—I don't know what it was, but it was sweet. I think he really does care about you, even if he doesn't know it yet. Bella, I think he really loves you." That was strange. Didn't Edward tell me that he loved me a while ago? When we left Alice's house that day I ran away? And I told him that I didn't believe him. Or something to that effect...

Mike saw my horrified expression and misinterpreted it completely. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that," he apologized. "I don't know anything for sure, and—"

I stood up and rushed into the kitchen, where Esme and Carlisle were carefully packing plates and glasses into large boxes lined with bubble wrap. "Where's Edward?" I asked urgently. I had to get this whole thing straightened out.

"He's in the park down the street," Carlisle answered. "It's his favorite place here."

"Thank you!" With that, I ran out the door, and to the park. Mike was still sitting on the couch. He looked taken aback. I could deal with that later, though. Edward was the priority.

When I reached the park, I saw Edward standing in front of a tree, which had 'T + E 4EVR' scratched into it. "What's that?" I asked.

"Tanya and I used to come here every Friday evening," he explained. "We put this on the tree because this was where we'd always hang out."

"Under the tree?" I asked, confused.

"No," Edward said gently. "Up there." He pointed into the leaves over our heads.

"I don't see anything." There was nothing but green everywhere above me."

"Come with me," Edward said. He tugged at my hand, as he pulled me to the back of the tree, where there were pieces of wood nailed into the tree, creating a ladder. I climbed up to find a small tree house.

The room smelled like fresh pine needles, and it felt like home. Large throw pillows were strewn about the room, for people to sit on. There was a pile of books in a corner, and I recognized some of the classics; _Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights, _and_ Alice in Wonderland_ were among them. A small window provided a perfect view of the park.

"We found it a few years ago, and it's been our hideout ever since," Edward said from behind me. I hadn't even noticed him come up.

"It's amazing," I whispered.

---

The next morning, there was a note left on my pillow. It said:

_Bella, come to the tree house as soon as you can. I have a surprise for you._

It wasn't signed, but I had a feeling it was from Edward. More excited to see him than I would have been at home, I dressed extra carefully. When I was pleased with my appearance, I crept out of the house, taking the note with me.

At the park, I climbed up the ladder, into the tree house, bursting with anticipation. However, when I reached the top, it wasn't Edward there, but a blonde.

"Hello," she said calmly. "My name is Irina. And you must be Isabella Swan."

---

**Edward POV**

I woke up, feeling good about myself. Yesterday, when I showed Bella the tree house, I had a surprisingly easy time talking to her. She seemed much happier, and I had a nice time with her. Maybe this would be easier than I thought it would be. Or maybe Mike had said something to her that made her extra agreeable. I would have to talk to him and see what happened during their conversation. I would also have to speak to Tanya and make sure she was clear on what had happened and why we had broken up. I didn't want her to feel to upset about it; it was my fault, after all.

When I got up, I went to the guest room and peeked inside. The bedsheets were messed up, and there were clothes everywhere. Bella had clearly woken up, but she wasn't here. Where could she be? Maybe Esme or Carlisle knew.

I hurried down the stairs and found the two of them sitting at the breakfast table, sipping coffee from heavy mugs.

"Do you know where Bella is?" I blurted out.

Esme and Carlisle exchanged confused looks. "She left a few minutes ago," Carlisle told me. "Why do you want to know?"

"Thanks," I said quickly, as I rushed out the door. I had to find Bella. She didn't know my neighborhood the way I did. The majority of the people were decent, but there were a few shady characters that you had to watch out for. Bella didn't know the difference. And she was also naive enough to listen to anyone...

---

**Bella POV**

"H-h-how do you know m-my name?" I stammered. "I don't even live here."

"I saw you with Edward yesterday," Irina said with an evil grin. "After that, I went over to Mike's place and convinced him to dish the dirt. You're Isabella Swan. And you're Edward's pregnant stepsister. My sister was interested to hear that."

"Your sister?"

"You might have heard her name before, even if you haven't heard mine...it's Tanya. Edward split up with her when he found out that you were pregnant. It broke her heart."

This was making less and less sense.

"And that affects me...how?" I asked.

"I'm pretty sure that Edward only broke up with Tanya because he felt that he had other obligations when it came to you, because you're pregnant," Irina explained. "So if you're not pregnant, he will be free to go back to Tanya."

I had a really bad feeling about this.

"Anyway," Irina continued, "I have the perfect solution." She reached into a small pouch and pulled out a bottle of pills. "Take one," she instructed.

"What will it do?" I asked.

"It's a Kill Pill. You eat this, you get rid of the baby."

"Why do you even have those?"

Irina gave me another evil grin. "I stole them from Daddy's pharmacy."

"Well, that's too bad. I'm not going to eat them." I was _not_ killing my baby. I had made this decision long ago, and I was going to stick to it.

"You don't get a choice, sweetheart." Irina grinned maniacally. "You're eating them, even if I have to shove them down your throat."

I could see in her expression that Irina mean business. "Help!" I shouted as loudly as I could. "Someone please help me!"

"No one will come." Irina laughed as she moved closer. "It's too early for anyone to be in the park. It's just you and me."

---

**Edward POV**

I had no idea where Bella would go. It had to be nearby, though. She hadn't taken a car, and she had left the house only a few minutes ago. "Bella!" I called loudly as I ran through the streets. "Bella, where are you?"

I saw an angry face glare at me from a window. I waved frantically, hoping for information, but the face disappeared. I continued my search through the streets when I heard someone calling me.

"Edward, wait!"

I turned around. It was Kate, another one of my ex-girlfriends.

"That was _you_ at the window?" I asked.

"Yes," she said breathlessly. "I was _so_ mad when I saw you. I mean, the way you cheated on me with Tanya and everything. But there was this look in your face, when you were calling for Bella, and it reminded me of how I feel every time I look at Garrett."

"Garrett?"

"I met him at that diner where I have my waitressing job, and he was in town for a few days. He lives in Los Angeles, but we promised to see each other, at least once a month."

"So why did you come down here?"

"You know how Irina loves to go to the park?"

"Yeah."

"Well, the other day, she was talking to Carmen about someone named Bella, who she had sworn to get revenge on. I didn't hear what she was planning, but if it's Irina, you know you're dealing with a pro."

My heart sank. Of course. Tanya went crying to big sis Irina when anything went even remotely wrong in her life. And Irina would make a big deal out of it, as usual.

"I see you get the point," Kate observed.

I nodded mutely. I had felt horrible when Bella ran away. But this time I felt more responsible. It was because of me that Irina and Tanya wanted revenge on me. And to do that, they went to Bella. I sat down and buried my face in my hands to try and hide the guilt that was slowly filling me up. I didn't want Kate to see this side of me. It was not very attractive.

"Just go ahead and cry. I won't tell anybody," Kate promised. "I really mean it. I have a boyfriend, and I love him, and that's all I need. I won't go all psycho Tanya on you and make you pay for cheating on me. Don't worry."

I looked up at Kate, and was shocked to see that my vision was blurry. I couldn't remember the last time I had cried.

"It's okay," Kate whispered rubbing my back. Was this what I should have done for Bella when she told me I had knocked her up. Yeah, I should have. She was obviously upset, and I should have comforted her. I felt like such an asshole. "We'll find her. Bella will be okay, I promise. What could Irina do to her?"

"She's pregnant," I whispered back, my words almost unintelligible through my crying.

Kate was taken aback—that much was obvious—but she quickly recovered herself. "All right then. That means we have to go and find her. Edward, don't cry. I'll help you. We'll find her."

I nodded, and quickly scrubbed my face with my sleeve. It wiped away the tears that were still on my face, but it didn't do anything to remove the redness or the puffiness or the hiccups. Shoot.

I opened my eyes gingerly, but they started stinging anyway. Sunlight was horrible.

"Come on," Kate said urgently. "We have to think. I know that Bella went wherever she went of her own accord. I saw her hurrying up the street a while ago. What places does she know?"

"I only showed her one place: the park. Tanya and I had found a treehouse there, and..." I trailed off. Things made sense again.

"Hurry!" Kate said urgently.

---

**Bella POV**

Just as Irina was about to force-feed the Kill Pill to me, Edward and another blonde forced their way through the door. I had no idea Edward knew this many girls. Tanya, Irina, and now this person. And they were all blondes.

Edward went over to Tanya and knocked the drugs out of her hand. Meanwhile, the other girl hurried over to me. "Are you all right?" she asked, concerned.

"Yes," I answered hoarsely. This morning had really taken a lot out of me.

"Good, then let's get you out of here." The girl pulled me out of the tree house gently, and sat me down on a bench outside in the fresh air. "Now, tell me exactly what happened. Edward will want to know, and I think you'll find it easier to talk to me."

I nodded, and quietly began to recount the morning's experiences.

---

**Edward POV**

I saw red. I really did. Irina almost took my Bella and her baby away from me.

"What was in that bottle?!" I demanded, as soon as Kate had taken Bella safely away from the room.

"Nothing," Irina mumbled. "It was nothing."

"Then why was Bella staring at it like it was the devil itself?"

"Listen, Edward, I know you're a bit protective of your new sister, but that doesn't mean you have to dump Tanya."

"Irina! I _love_ Bella! And not in the brother-sister-sibling-way, but in the boyfriend-girlfriend-romantic-way. Deal with it!"

Irina didn't say anything. I pushed past her and left the treehouse. I saw Bella and Kate sitting nearby and I hurried over to them. "Bella, are you okay?" I asked worriedly.

She nodded weakly. "Can we go home now?" she asked. "I want to sleep."

"Of course," I replied kindly. "Kate, you come too. Do you think you can tell me what happened?"

"Yeah," Kate said. "Bella told me everything.

We walked home in silence. There was a note on the door addressed to Bella and me. It said:

_Edward and Bella,_

_We are going out to get some food for the rest of the weekend. _

_Esme and Carlisle_

I took Bella into her room, and Kate and I sat there until she fell asleep, which was only a few moments later. Then, Kate and I sat in the family room, while Kate told me what had happened in the treehouse. I couldn't believe that Irina could have been so cruel! And Bella's condition was fragile! I was surprised that she'd been able to remain as confident as she had been.

---

When Bella woke up, Esme and Carlisle hadn't returned from the store.

"Thank you, Edward," she called from her room.

I went in, with a bowl of her favorite cereal and smiled. "You're welcome, Bella."

"When are we going back to Arizona?" she asked, sitting up in bed.

"Tomorrow afternoon," I answered. "Any special reason?"

She shook her head. "Not really. I just want to be with people and in places that I actually know. It's weird coming here and not knowing anything."

"That's how I felt when I came over your place for Alice's party. I had no idea who anybody was. I had to go by appearances alone."

"Is that why...?"

"Yeah, I think so. You were wearing a provocative dress, you were trashed...Forgive me for getting the wrong impression."

"Shut up," she said, pushing me lightly.

I smiled. It hadn't ever been this easy between us. I was glad we could finally be friends. Maybe now we could actually discuss something in a civilized way without it ever coming to blows. I was glad.

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys! I know it's been a long time, but I gave you six chapters! At once! I mean, if that's not a peace offering, I don't know what is! Anyway, this is now caught up to Twilighted, so I'm hoping things will be smoother now, as far as updates go. And remember to review at the end...**


	13. Epiphany

**Bella POV**

I was happy to be back home.

After Edward and Kate helped me escape Irina, the rest of the weekend was pretty boring. We helped Esme and Carlisle pack, we took walks, we helped with the packing, we made dinner, and we helped with the packing some more. Nothing interesting, overall.

The evening we got home, I heard a knock on my door. "Hey," Edward said, walking in. "I see you've settled in." I had already unmade my bed, and had dumped all of the weekend's dirty laundry on the floor outside my closet.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Well, maybe _some_thing interesting happened over the weekend. Edward and I had finally started talking. The way we should've a long time ago.

"So..."

"So what?"

"Who did you call to complain about your horrible weekend in the Golden State?"

"No one. I don't exactly want to relive the whole Irina thing."

"I don't blame you. Listen, I really feel bad about that. I was very tactless when I spoke to Tanya, and maybe it would be better if I had broken up with her in person over the weekend." He sighed. "At any rate, Irina wouldn't have had the time to get those pills."

"It was no big deal, Edward. So she managed to get her hands on a couple of morning-after pills. So what?"

Edward looked up at me. His gaze was so intense that it scared me. "Is something wrong?" I asked tentatively.

"Bella. This wasn't just some simple morning-after pill. They only work the morning after. You've been pregnant for about two months. A morning-after wouldn't work. Anyway, morning-afters sometimes don't work even when they're taken the morning after. It's all about time."

"How do you know?" I interrupted.

Edward looked a bit sheepish. "I did some research on the subject. Anyway, Irina's pills required a prescription for a reason. Those pills would have killed you if you had eaten them. They're really strong. You have to be a lot older before you can have them and expect your system to be able to handle them. Irina didn't know this. It just said abortion pill in the database. I don't think she would have cared anyway, though."

"Again, how do you know?" I repeated.

"I hacked into the system. Bella, those pills weren't a joke. I don't want you to ever accept any kind of food or drink from _any_body you don't know, especially once you start to show, which should be in about another month."

"Edward! I don't know what's freaking me out more? First of all, you know more about this baby crap than I do, and second of all, you actually seem to care what happens to me and the kid! What the hell happened to you this weekend?"

Edward looked thoughtful. "I don't really know. I think, for the first time, I was faced with the prospect of losing you. And I couldn't handle that. Bella, you don't know how much you've changed me, how important you are to my life." And then he did the strangest thing of all. He crossed the room in three long strides until he was standing less than two inches away from me.

He cradled my face gently, and tilted my head upward so I could see into his eyes. His beautiful, emerald green eyes. "Bella," he whispered. His breath tickled. In a good way. "Bella, you are the _best_ thing to have _ever _happened to me. I really meant it when I told you I loved you, you know." I could barely believe it.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

Edward laughed. The sound was happy and carefree; I couldn't remember the last time he had seemed so....not uptight. The first time he had seemed to loosen up in my presence.

"Of course I'm sure. Why wouldn't I be?" He leaned in, and pressed his lips to mine. This was nothing like the kiss at Alice's party. That had been much more aggressive. This was...sweet.

I pushed him away. "What if Carlisle and Esme see?"

"They won't. They went to put the extra furniture in storage." He leaned in for another kiss.

"In that case, I have to go call Alice." I wasn't ready for this, even though it was kind of nice.

Edward chuckled softly. "Come on, Bella, live a little."

"Isn't that how we got into this whole mess?" I joked.

"Good point." Edward smiled at me. I pushed him out of my room and picked up my cell phone. Alice was number two on my speed dial, after Esme. She picked up on the second ring.

"Hey, Bella! How was California?"

"It was...really weird. Listen..." I told her what happened with Irina. After talking with Edward, I figured it would be a good thing to tell Alice or Rose what had happened, and I didn't want to stress Rose out, because of her own pregnancy.

"Wow," Alice said. "When I go to California, I'll make sure that Jasper comes with me to ward off all of the psychos."

"And...there's another thing," I said hesitantly.

"What?"

"Well...after the whole thing...Edward and I got talking, and I think...that...he likes me."

"It'd be kind of cheap for him not to," Alice said. "After all, you're having his kid, aren't you?"

"Yes," I said, "but I got the impression that he _really_ likes me. More than a sister."

Alice didn't say anything. I couldn't imagine what was going through her head.

"Alice? Are you still there?"

"Yeah, Bella," she sounded strangely detached. "Are you sure about this?"

"He told me himself."

"I know, but are you sure he wasn't lying?"

"Why would he? What would he gain?"

"I don't know, Bella, but it doesn't seem right to me. He barely knows you."

"It seemed really real."

"No offense, Bella, but you don't really have much experience when it comes to guys."

"Yes, Alice. Please _enlighten _me with your eons of experience," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I didn't mean for you to take it that way," Alice said, clearly hurt.

"Sorry. Damn hormones."

Alice laughed. "It's so hard to think that you'll have a baby in a few months, Bella. Really, it is."

I smiled. "Same here. So what did I miss this weekend?"

Alice started to tell me all about the movie that she went to see with Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie. Somewhere in the middle of her monologue, I fell asleep. I woke up to the sound of her screeching in my ear.

"Bella! Bella, why aren't you talking? Isabella Marie Swan, I am not so boring that you fall asleep on me, are you?" Alice was furious.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled groggily. "I just dozed off for a couple of seconds. Sorry."

"It wasn't a couple of seconds!" Alice yelled. "It was half an hour! I was describing the ending of the movie, when I realized that you weren't saying anything. I got worried, and I called Edward from the landline, and he looked in your room and told me that you were asleep." Alice paused and took a deep breath. "What is wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry, Alice. I just got really tired all of a sudden. I can't help it, Alice, you know I can't."

"I know, Bella, but it isn't fair to me."

"Oh yes, Alice. My life is about to change completely, and it isn't fair to you. Am I right?"

"No, that's not what I mean."

"Then what do you mean?" I asked. Just then, I heard the front door open. "I'll talk to you later. Esme and Carlisle are home," I said quickly, as I hung up.

"Bella!" came Emmett's booming voice from outside my door.

"What are you doing here? Where are Esme and Carlisle?" I asked.

"They aren't back yet. When you thought it was them coming home, it really was Alice, Jasper, Rosie, and me coming in."

"Why didn't Alice say something?"

"I think she was going to, but you hung up first. Or maybe she wanted to surprise you."

"I wanted to surprise you," Alice said, opening the door to my room. She turned around. "Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, have Edward entertain you for a few minutes. I want to talk to Bella. She turned back to me. "Anyway, returning to the phone conversation, what I meant was, I know it's not fair to you, but why did you call me if you wanted to go to sleep so badly?"

"Alice, what do you think Esme would say if she comes home to find me fast asleep?"

"You could just say that you were tired and dozed off."

"And why would I be tired?" I asked her. "I've barely done anything at all. Edward won't let me. Whenever Esme tells me to do something, he does it all instead."

Alice raised her eyebrows. "That doesn't make it sound like he was joking."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you all along," I said. "He sounded really serious when he was talking to me earlier.

When Alice spoke again, it seemed as if she was choosing her words very carefully. "I don't really know what to think here. Edward is very difficult to read. He seemed very different to me when I first met him."

"Alice, your first impression of Edward had nothing to do with _him. _It was all about his car, for you anyway."

Alice screwed up her face, as if she was trying to remember. "Oh yeah," she said eventually. "You're right. That _is_ what happened." Then she looked confused. "You remembered a tiny detail in a conversation you had with me over a month ago, but you forgot about the condom that I put in your purse?"

"I was in no condition to reach that, Alice," I told her.

"Good point," Alice admitted. "Should we go talk to the others now?"

"Okay," I said.

As we left the room, I met a very strange sight. Rosalie was standing outside the door to Edward's room, eating a piece of chocolate cake.

"This was in your fridge, Bella. I hope you don't mind?"

"No, Rose, it's okay. But why are you eating that outside of Edward's room?"

"Oh," said Rosalie airily. "No reason. I was coming over to your room to see why you and Alice were taking such a long time, but you came out before I had a chance to walk all the way over there."

"Um....okay, then." This explanation sounded really suspicious. "Are Edward, Emmett, and Jasper in Edward's room?" I asked.

Rosalie hesitated for a few seconds. "Well, yes, they are." This raised my suspicions to a whole new level. Before, Rosalie had been whispering, but now she was almost shouting.

I had an idea. "Let's go see what they are up to, Alice," I said casually, placing my hand on the doorknob of Edward's room.

"_NO_!" Rosalie shouted. "Don't go in there?" This seemed to have struck a nerve.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Emmett and Jasper wanted to talk to Edward privately for a few minutes. You know, sort of like you and Alice."

"Then why did they have you on guard duty?" I asked. Without waiting for an answer, I opened the door, and was greeted with the most shocking thing I had seen outside of a movie.

---

**Edward POV**

After Alice disappeared into Bella's room, Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie turned to face me.

"We would have done this before, but we didn't want to do it in front of Bella. It would upset her," Emmett said.

"We don't want to upset Bella," Jasper said.

"We all know that Bella is...or rather...was...very inexperienced with guys. Alice and I had decided that if Bella ever expressed an interest in anyone, we would check him out to make sure he was decent. At the party, you seemed okay, but then you ruined Bella's life! I don't know what you think of yourself, but don't go acting all concerned for Bella, because we all know you don't care. You're just taking care of her because you feel _obligated_, and not because you actually like her," Rosalie said.

Emmett and pushed me into my bedroom, while Jasper spoke to Rosalie quickly. "Rose, keep watch. Act natural, and knock on the door or something when Alice and Bella come out of the room. Oh, and signal us if they try to come in."

"Signal?" Rose asked.

"Just talk really loudly," Emmett yelled over his shoulder. "Can we get started now?"

Jasper nodded, and walked into the room. "What's going on?" I asked. I was getting a very bad feeling about this. In response, Jasper had me in a headlock, and then somehow managed to position his arms in such a way that I was completely immobilized.

Then, Emmett stood in front of me, and flexed his muscles. He planted his feet firmly on the floor, pulled back his arm, and—OW!

Pain, pain, and more pain. Agonizing pain.

Emmett hit me over and over again, while Jasper made sure I was unable to escape.

After what seemed like a century, there was an urgent knocking on the door. Emmett and Jasper quieted down, and I could hear Rose talking. I didn't catch her exact words, but I heard her mention 'chocolate,' 'Alice,' and 'walking.' I didn't want to know what kind of story she had cooked up. I wanted her to let Alice and Bella in, because that was the only thing that would stop Emmett and Jasper from injuring me further.

"Well, yes, they are," I heard Rose shout. That was the signal. Excellent. They were coming.

I was so caught up in my moment of relief, that I didn't notice Alice and Bella come in.

"Emmett, Jasper, how could you?" Bella yelled. "I told you not to do that."

I couldn't believe it. Bella was defending me. _Me_ of all people?! What had the world come to? And she had _told _Emmett and Jasper not to beat me up? After what I did to her? I really should have listened to Mike more. He had told me that since I couldn't deal with my 'problems' in a normal way, I would end up doing something I'd really regret one day, and that was exactly what I did. Mike should become a psychologist. He's awesome with this stuff.

I knew that there was only one thing I could do, though it didn't appeal to me at all. I had to go and talk to someone. A professional. And once I could do that, and finally learn to get over what happened, I would be able to move on. And I wouldn't behave in the stupid manner I behaved in ever since I lost my mother. It was the only thing I could to help Bella. And I would do it. For her. I had made my decision.


	14. Revelation

**Edward POV**

Bella disappeared for a few seconds, then returned with an ice pack and a towel. She wrapped the ice pack in the towel, and then gave it to me.

"You're the doctor's son. I think you'd know what to do with these better than I would," she admitted with a sheepish smile.

I nodded, and placed the ice pack over my eye, where it hurt the most.

Bella looked at me, carefully, as if trying to figure out what to do about the rest of the injuries.

"I think we should call Carlisle," she said finally.

What? No, I did _not _want Carlisle to know about this. "No!" I shouted.

"It's the only way we can help you," she argued. "None of us know what to do about it all anyway."

I didn't want to admit that my pride was getting in the way of rational thought. I knew that calling Carlisle was the sensible decision, but I didn't want him to see me like this. After my parents died, when he adopted me, he had seen me at my very worst, emotionally, at least. I didn't want him to see me at my physical worst either.

Bella seemed to understand which direction my thoughts were taking, and she rubbed my arm reassuringly. "Don't worry. We'll take care of you," she whispered. "All you have to do is let us."

Those words were surprisingly soothing, and I found my resolve disappearing. "Okay. Do what you must," I told her reluctantly, preparing myself for Carlisle and Esme's shock when they saw me in my present state.

---

"So why were Emmett and Jasper beating you up, again?" Carlisle asked, as he stuck a bandage to the cut on my forehead.

I looked around nervously. Bella was in the room. She still didn't know that Carlisle knew about her...baby...so I'd have to be careful.

"We had a...disagreement," I replied vaguely. "I really don't want to talk about it." Not now, anyway.

After Bella had called Carlisle, she had scolded Emmett and Jasper. It was quite a sight. A petite, slender brunette yelling at two muscular football players...you had to be there. Soon after, Alice, Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper had left to go shopping. Alice's idea, of course. But I think that Emmett and Jasper would have used whatever excuse they could get to leave the house as quickly as they could. I don't think they wanted to be there when Carlisle and Esme got home.

"Bella?" came Esme's quiet voice from the corner of the room. "Do you know what this disagreement was about?"

"I wasn't there. I was with Alice in my room. We were talking. When I caught Emmett and Jasper, I made them stop, and then I called you guys." Bella's explanation had a lot of holes in it too, and I think that Carlisle noticed that. He, undoubtedly, knew about the pregnancy, but he wasn't going to completely accept it until Bella told him personally. The same went for Esme.

After taping several more bandages to the various cuts on my physique, Carlisle handed me two Tylenol and a glass of water.

"I can't do anything to make the bruises go away, but this should help with tonight. You're lucky you didn't break anything!" he told me.

After that, he left to put the first-aid kit away. Esme excused herself to go make dinner. And Bella and I were alone. I moved toward her. There was something I had to talk to her about. It was just too difficult for me to pretend that Carlisle and Esme knew nothing of the pregnancy when I knew for certain that they were aware of it. It was hell for me to have to try and keep a secret that I knew was out anyway.

"Bella." I was choosing my words carefully. "I think you should tell them. Everything."

"Why?" she asked, her brown eyes looking into mine.

"Because it's the right thing," I whispered. "For you, for me, for the child."

"But you'll get in trouble," she argued. "I don't care about myself. I should have listened to Alice when she told me to stop drinking. But you? Why should you get in trouble? I can tell them that I don't know who the guy was. That he disappeared from Alice's room that night, and I never saw him again. It would work." I had been right. This girl was too forgiving and kind for her own good.

"No, it wouldn't, Bella," I told her. "They'd find out eventually. I'm sure they'd prefer to hear it from you than from Jessica Stanley."

She covered her face with her hands. "I completely forgot that Jess knew. How will I face the kids at school?" she wailed.

"With all of your friends by your side," I told her confidently. "Don't worry. We'll take care of you. All you have to do is let us." I grinned cockily as I repeated her words from earlier that evening. Her eyes softened, and I knew then that I had won.

"Fine," she said reluctantly. "But not tonight."

"Then when?" I asked, smiling at the rhyme.

"Saturday. It will have been six weeks then."

"All right. Now do you want to tell them, or should I?"

**Bella POV**

I had been dreading Saturday ever since I promised Edward that I would tell Esme and Carlisle the real truth about the events at Alice's party. I could tell that things were different by Thursday. I was feeling extremely nauseous in the mornings now, even though I wasn't throwing up yet. In a way, I felt that Emmett and Jasper were responsible for me having to talk to Esme and Carlisle now. If they hadn't attacked Edward, he wouldn't have cornered me after his injuries had been treated. He wouldn't have asked me to tell the truth. But I suppose I could find a million people to blame, if I thought about it long enough.

Edward had offered to tell them for me, but I couldn't let him do that. It was my mistake to correct, and I knew that I would have to take responsibility.

Edward had smiled at me when I told him that. It was an odd little half-smile, that was full of admiration. I couldn't figure out what it was for, but it felt nice.

Saturday morning, before Carlisle and Esme woke up, Edward and I baked a cake. When it was done, we wrapped it up and hid it in my room. Maybe Carlisle and Esme wouldn't be so upset if they had chocolate in front of them...

When Edward had heard the reasoning behind that decision, he had laughed and shaken his head. "That is probably the stupidest thing I have ever heard," he laughed, "but I'll help you, if you want."

Edward was a surprisingly good cook. "Food Network," he'd told me, when I inquired after his excellent culinary skills.

"What kind of guy watches Food Network?" I asked incredulously.

"The kind of guy who prefers cooking to cleaning, and Carlisle said that I had to choose one or the other."

I had laughed when I heard him say that. It was so absurd.

Anyway, after the cake was brought out, Esme said, "Well, Bella, there must have been a reason for such a delicious surprise."

"There was," Edward said, smiling. How could he smile at a time like this?

"Really? What is it?" Carlisle asked, a twinkle in his eye.

"I'm pregnant," I mumbled, barely audible.

"What? Speak up," Esme commanded.

It was too much for me, then, and I got up and left the room. Edward would tell them. I wanted to hear their reaction, though, so I hid around the corner, and listened.

"She doesn't know that I told you already," Edward said after a long pause.

"Why didn't you tell her?" Carlisle questioned.

"I didn't want her to get upset. She didn't need to know, so I didn't tell her."

"But she could have been saved a lot of stress. Imagine how nervous she must have been about tonight!" Esme put in.

"I suppose. But we've only gotten on decent terms very recently, and I didn't want to mess that up."

"I'm not blaming you, Edward. I'm glad you came to us and told us the truth after Bella ran away. I'm just worried about her, that's all," Esme said.

What?! Esme and Carlisle had known ever since that stupid runaway thing that I had done! Who did Edward think he was, telling them my business? How could he have betrayed my trust in the manner that he did? He had no respect for my feelings at all! Did he even do so much as ask me for my permission first? And, more importantly, what did Carlisle and Esme think of me every single time they saw me walking past, knowing that I was carrying a child?


	15. Memories

**Edward POV**

Bella was mad at me again. Last night, she yelled at me for half-an-hour, before going to bed. It was like walking up a down escalator: Every time I took a step forward, I found myself farther behind than I had been when I had begun. It sucked.

Today, she was going shopping with Alice, Esme, and Rosalie for maternity clothing. She had seemed relieved that she wouldn't have to tell Esme or Carlisle anything, but she was still upset that I had told 'her' secret. 'Her' secret! It was as much my secret as it was hers! And I had only told it out of concern for her! Esme and Carlisle needed to be aware of this after she had run away. And anyway, they hadn't been too upset. All of the upset had been eclipsed by the worry, and then after that the topic wasn't discussed anymore, so there was no renewal of Esme or Carlisle's disapproval.

However, all of my explanations of the situation were lost somewhere in the swirly patterns on the wooden door that had separated us last night. When she had overheard my conversation with Esme and Carlisle, she had dropped the plate of cake that she had been holding, and ran up the stairs and down the hallway. I had followed her as quickly as I was able to, but she had had an excellent head start, and had managed to slam her door in my face a split-second before I managed to catch up to her.

I had tried to explain why I had done what I had done, but she had refused to listen, yelling at me from behind her door, with me shouting back.

"Edward, stop," Carlisle had said, when he came up to prevent me from breaking down the door. "I know you're frustrated, but you can't take your anger out here. You should try and calm her down, rather than get her more upset."

So, while Esme talked to Bella, and got her to quiet down, I drove to a park and punched a tree until my shirt sleeve was soaked with the blood dripping from my knuckles. It wasn't fair, really. Bella wouldn't listen to a single word I said, and then go and try to blame me for everything that went wrong in her so-called perfect life.

And now she was out shopping, Carlisle was at work, Esme had taken a day off to accompany Bella, and I was left at home. Alone.

It had been a long time since I had thought of that word. Back in San Diego, for example, whenever Carlisle wasn't there, I'd either hang out with Mike, or invite Tanya, or whoever my girlfriend happened to be at the time, over. It was strange to not have anyone to be with.

I decided to play some music. There was little room for a piano in this house, so my old grand piano was put into storage, and Carlisle had bought me a small keyboard that I could put in my room. It was no substitute for the beautiful instrument that I could play for hours on end, but it was something, at least.

I rummaged in a box next to my desk, searching for the binder that held all of my music, along with several blank sheets that allowed me to write my own music on.

I played some Mozart for a while, when I realized that Mozart was not what I wanted to play. Turning to the blank section of the binder, I looked through my compositions, but I could not find something that I was interested in. Returning to my desk, I grabbed a pencil and decided to write something new.

For the next few hours, I transformed all of my frustration, fear, and anger into a melodious tune, that reminded me of a song my mother used to sing to me when I was young. A lullaby. Tears came to my eyes, as I recalled the mother I had loved so much. She had died so suddenly, and then, when she was gone, I had felt so lost, so empty, and I found no meaning in the world. It was then that Carlisle had adopted me, but even though he was an amazing person, and even better father, he could not compare to the family that I had once had...and lost.

I reached into that same box that had held my sheet music, and pulled out a small, locked jewelry box. The key was on a small chain that I wore around my neck. I carefully removed the chain, and opened the box. Inside, there were photographs. Lots of photographs.

The first was of my mother, and my father on their wedding day; their faces were radiant and full of joy.

The next was of my mother holding me in the hospital, after I was born. The sheer wonder and happiness in her eyes made me wonder if I would look like that when I held my child for the first time.

The third was of my most well-kept secret. My sister. Her name had been Renesmee, and she had died in that same car crash that had killed my father. She was three years younger than me. This picture was of me holding her when she was a baby. I had never told anyone about her after my mom died, because it hurt too much. We were more than brother and sister; we were really good friends, and had confided everything to each other.

I sifted through the rest of the pictures, stopping occasionally to blow my nose and wipe away tears. I missed them so much. At the last picture, I could barely control the anguish that seized my body. I had forgotten about this one.

This picture had been taken on the last afternoon that my family had been together. We had gone down to the beach to enjoy a picnic. Renesmee had secretly told me that she had been asked out by one of the most popular guys at her middle school, and that they were going to the movies the following Friday. She had been extremely excited. "Just don't tell Mom or Dad," she had said quietly. "I know they won't approve. I'm only twelve, after all." I had promised her that I wouldn't. That promise, that trust, that love, had been evident in the picture, and it never failed to break my heart.

Later that day, when we had been driving home, a truck ran a red light and crashed into the left side of the car, instantly killing my father and Renesmee. I will never forget the shock that was present in her face. My mother and I were unharmed.

"Why her!" I remembered yelling to the sky. "She was about to live her life for the first time! Why not me?"

When Mom and I had returned from their funeral, we began the unpleasant task of cleaning out their things. I had salvaged many of the items that she had decided to dispose of; all of these were now in a large box in storage, along with my piano.

A couple of weeks later, Mom was diagnosed with cancer, and I was forced to watch as she faded away. Towards the end, when I could see the pain in her expressions, I began to realize that maybe my sister and my father were the lucky ones; they died quickly, and didn't have time to hurt the way Mom did.

And then things went downhill. Carlisle had helped me pack away Mom's things and I took all of the photographs and drawings and things to storage, but I was empty inside. I drowned my sorrows the only way I could.

Girls.

Many people would turn to drinking, drugs, or suicide, during such a time. But Carlisle was a doctor and wouldn't let me anywhere near the pills. He didn't drink either, so alcohol was out. And suicide, well, after watching my entire family die, I didn't have the heart to end my life too, because something about it didn't seem right. I knew that any of them would give a lot to be in my place, alive, and that it would insult their memory if I ended my own life.

So I lived. And suffered. Girl after girl came and went; entranced by my appearance, they all believed that they would be the one to change me, to make me commit. Of course, there were also some who were like me, who wanted no commitment, and moved on as easily as I did. I never thought about pregnancy and children, because, well, all of the girls who went out with me usually knew what they were getting into, and made sure they were on the pill whenever they came near me. Either that, or I was extremely lucky.

I shook my head, trying to clear up the mess that my life had become, and while doing that, heard the front door open.

"Edward?" It was Esme. Bella and the others were here. I quickly replaced the photographs and hurried out of my room to greet them, determined to fix my life.


	16. At Last!

**Bella POV**

I had been dreading this moment ever since I found out I was pregnant. Maternity clothing. What would the people at school say if someone happened to see me?

"I'm nervous," I confessed to Alice and Rosalie.

"It's fine," Rose said. "It's all natural."

"Yeah, and the people at school probably know everything already, thanks to Jess, so then you really don't have much left that you can keep secret," Alice added.

Rose had recently told Alice about her own baby, and I had once again told them both every single detail relating to Edward, how we met, and all the events since, because they both demanded a recap.

"That's a huge relief," I replied, rolling my eyes.

"Bella, come on. They would have found out anyway. They would have seen you in school, remember?" Alice said soothingly.

"Not if I dropped out first," I shot back. The words were empty; I really had no intention of dropping out. But it was worth it to see Alice and Rosalie's shock.

They both started speaking at once, so quickly that I could barely catch what they were saying.

"...now, education is more important than ever..."

"...don't be selfish..."

"...we'll hang out together, the two pregnant chicks..."

"...you'll be fine..."

"Guys, calm down, I have absolutely no intention of dropping out," I interrupted.

"Then why did you say so?" Alice asked, confused.

"I don't know," I said. Rosalie opened her mouth, probably to ask another question, when Esme poked her head in the door.

"Girls, are you ready to go?"

I gulped and nodded as we walked out the door.

"Bye, Bella, Alice, Rose," Edward said softly as he walked out of the kitchen.

Alice and Rose murmured quiet goodbyes, while I ignored his words altogether. I was still upset with him.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, going to his room.

"Yeah, right," I muttered under my breath.

---

Twenty minutes later, we were pulling into the mall parking lot. I could Jessica and Lauren stepping out of a car about the same time as us. They smirked at me, confident that they had succeeded in making my life a living hell. But I had to give credit where it was due. It wasn't Lauren or Jessica who had caused my situation. It was Edward.

Esme seemed to have guessed the direction of my thoughts. She patted my back, as she whispered, "Sweetheart, everything happens for a reason. Never forget that."

I nodded. What did she mean by that?

I mused over it for a while, though by the time we had reached "Mommy and Me!", the best baby store in the vicinity, I had forgotten why I wanted to figure out what Esme meant.

I walked through the store, running my hands through the racks of baby clothes. They were so tiny! Would my baby be this small, too? Just then, I had a vision of Edward and me, sitting in one of those hospital rooms, holding a little bundle of blue fabric. We were both smiling at each other, as we cradled the child. I shook my head rapidly, trying to clear my mind.

"Are you okay?" Rose asked dreamily. She seemed to be enthralled by the baby clothing as well.

I nodded slowly. "Yeah. Just a...disturbing...thought."

Rosalie didn't appear to have heard me. She was holding up a tiny pair of overalls, her eyes sparkling.

"Guys, the kids aren't here yet. Come on, we have to do _your _shopping now," Alice ordered. She took the overalls from Rosalie and put them back on the shelf, and pulled us to the maternity section of the store, where Esme was already removing several items from the shelves.

"Alice, I liked the overalls," Rose complained.

"We'll buy baby clothes as soon as we find out the sex," Alice chirped. "I promise you both we'll go on a mega-shopping-spree!" This seemed to cheer Rosalie up. For me, though, it was another reason to hate Edward. All of this extra shopping...

Two hours later, Rose and I had both selected a few tops that we liked and some pants that had adjustable waists, so that we wouldn't have to buy new ones every few days.

Then, we went to the Food Court for lunch. Alice and Esme both got sandwiches. I found that I was craving Italian, so I got myself a slice of pizza. Rose got a burger and fries.

"Do you know what that will do to your figure?" Jessica asked me when I was paying. She was holding a bowl of salad. Then she laughed. "Oh, wait, no I forgot. You're having a _baby_! Your figure is doomed to hell anyway, so why not enjoy all the good food while you can?"

She had said this extremely loudly, so that everyone in the Food Court could have heard. I felt dozens of eyes on me, on my stomach, on the tears that were now falling from my cheeks. I knew that I looked my age; I was always a bit short and small, so it was obvious to the entire world that I was in high school. I had just been hoping that, before I stared to show, my life would still have some semblance of normalcy.

Rosalie, who had abandoned her food, hurried over to me, and grabbed my hand. "We'll take that to go," she told the guy behind the counter of the pizza place.

"Come on, Bella, we're going home," she whispered. "We'll eat in the car, okay? It's going to be all right."

"Ooh, Bella, since when did you and Rosalie become such good friends?" Jessica sneered. "Maybe ever since she found out about your kid, she decided that you were cool enough to hang out with her and the other sluts."

Rosalie's eyes flashed with anger. "Well, at least we _sluts_ have a place. _Wannabes_, on the other hand, are just sort of there. They don't really do much though. They're just glorified copycats." Her grip on my arm was now so hard, that I could feel the circulation being cut off. Rose seemed to realize this as soon as I did, and she loosened her hold.

"We're leaving," she announced, as we walked out the doors.

---

I had refused my slice of pizza. I wasn't really that hungry. Jessica's words were running through my mind on a constant replay.

When we got home, Esme called Edward to ask him to help bring in the packages. I stalked into my room and lay on my bed. In a matter of minutes, my pillow was soaked with tears. It was a while before I was aware of the soft hands running across my back.

Looking up, I saw a pair of emerald-green orbs. "Edward, what are you doing here?" I inquired.

"Esme told me what happened," he explained. "When I was bringing in the clothes. I like the blue one, by the way. I think you would look amazing in that."

"Really? Even if I'm fat?" I whispered.

He laughed softly. "Yes, Bella. Now go to sleep." I nodded, and felt myself drift away.

---

When I woke up, Edward was still in my room. This time, though, he was sitting at my desk, leafing through my beat-up old copy of _Pride and Prejudice_.

"How do you feel," he questioned.

"I'm fine, I _think_." Suddenly, something came back to me. "Edward, why did Esme send _you_ in here, and not Alice or Rose?"

"She wanted them to help her in the kitchen. And she thought that this way, you might forgive me for telling Esme and Carlisle without asking you first."

It took me a moment to remember what he had told them. But of course, I couldn't forget my pregnancy for long. "Why did you tell them, anyway?"

"You had run away from home. That wasn't a healthy thing for someone in your condition to do. Carlisle's a doctor. He works in the ER. Every day, he used to come home with stories about the people he had seen. Technically, he wasn't allowed to tell me anything, confidentiality clause and all that, but he still did, because I wanted to be like him someday, saving lives, and he thought the stories would be interesting to me. Anyway, he always had these stories about pregnant women and teenagers who ended up harming themselves by taking risks like you did then. If you were not 'with child' then you would have been fine. But, if you remember, you almost got very sick out there. And that wouldn't have good. If I hadn't told Esme and Carlisle, then who knows what kind of condition you might have been in now?"

He took a deep breath and mumbled something else. It was mostly unintelligible, but I caught the gist...something about not being able to live with the guilt.

"I know I've been unfair," I began, "but this has been hard on me. I wasn't like this before." I thought back to who I had been, before Alice's party. I was always the shy girl in the corner, hating to talk to people, but at the same time, not caring what they thought of me. For one night, at the party, I had been transformed into someone flashy, who always caught people's attention, and would never be able to hide in the corner again; maybe now, because of the baby, that change would be permanent. These thoughts upset me, and I started crying again.

---

**Edward POV**

She was silent, not saying anything. Then all of a sudden, the tears came again.

Crap, what did I do now? Esme made it very clear that Bella shouldn't be upset, and she had told me that I would be in _big_ trouble if I made her go into tantrum mode like I had done last night.

"Bella," I whispered, going back to where she was seated on her bed. "Bella, are you okay?"

"Yes," she sniffled. "I was just wishing I could be the person I had been before all of these horrible things happened."

How ironic. I had been wishing almost the same thing while she was at the mall. Maybe we were meant to be.

"It will be okay, Bella," I reassured her. "Once you see the baby's tiny little face, it will all be worth it."

"How would you know anything about that?" she asked, looking at me suspiciously.

Damn, I was way too open with this girl. First I had showed her my secret tree house in San Diego, and now I had almost given away information about my sister.

"Before my parents died, I had been to a whole bunch of first birthdays and stuff. I remember the kids had always been really cute and funny."

_Nice save, Edward,_ I congratulated myself.

"Your parents are dead," Bella asked in a choked voice. I nodded. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I wish now that I hadn't given you so much grief before. Carlisle...adopted you?"

"Yes."

Then she did the most unexpected thing. She hugged me. Maybe things were going to be okay, after all.

Suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable with someone so pure, so inherently _good_ practically wrapped around someone like me, I fished around for a distraction.

"Aren't you going to ask me what I did while you were sleeping?" I questioned.

"You had the book in your hand. I assumed you were reading."

"Well, I was at first, but then I heard something much more interesting." Bella's face paled.

"No, no, _please_ no," she mumbled.

"Judging by your response, I would guess that you _are_ aware that you talk in your sleep."

"No, this can't be happening, no, no."

"Do you want to know what you said."

"I'm afraid to ask," she replied, her face still whiter than usual.

"Nothing _too_ embarrassing," I teased.

"What did I say?" she yelled.

"Nothing," I replied, insistently.

_Damn, she was sexy when she was frustrated. Crap, no, Edward, she's your sister. And you already got her pregnant! Have _some_ restraint!_

"Edward Cullen, you tell me what I said, right now!"

"What is going on in here?" Carlisle asked opening the door.

"Nothing," I said, once again."

Carlisle rolled his eyes. "You know what, Edward? I'll deal with you later. I have a few things to discuss with Bella right now."

"Can't I stay for this?" I asked. I was extremely curious as to what Carlisle wanted. Too bad I couldn't read minds...

He sighed. "So be it. Fine. But I'll bet you twenty that you'll be running out of here before I'm done talking."

"I'll take you up on that," I replied, feeling confident.

---

Carlisle, as it turned out, had looked up all of the gynecologists in the area, and was discussing them with Bella, trying to figure out who she would be most comfortable with. He had already run the list by Esme, who had narrowed it down quite a bit, and now he was giving it to Bella to make the final decision.

He was also talking to Bella about her current symptoms...was she nauseous in the mornings...did she have any strange cravings...etc.... While I had seen many of the other parts he was talking about, hearing about them in a medical sense was just...disgusting.

"Dad, you win the bet," I muttered, as I hurried out of the room. I could spare a twenty. My sanity, however, was a whole other matter.

"And he expects to be a doctor when he grows up," Carlisle said loudly as I left the room.

Well then...

---

I wandered into the kitchen where Esme, Rosalie, and Alice were baking. "Chocolate chip cookies," Alice said in explanation.

"Why?" I inquired.

"Craving," Rose replied. "I really felt like chocolate chip cookies, and Bella loves them too, so we decided to make some."

I tried to swipe some of the batter, but Esme pulled the bowl out of my reach. "Nice try, Edward," she laughed.

I spent the next ten minutes trying to get a taste of the batter, and Alice, Rose, and Esme were all trying to keep it away from me. Bits of the batter went flying everywhere, as the bowl was passed (or thrown) from person to person.

"Looks like I missed a food fight," Bella said wistfully, as she came into the kitchen. Carlisle was right behind her.

"It wouldn't be good for you," Esme said quickly.

"But Rose got to play," Bella complained.

"No offense, Bella," Alice began, "but Rose was a _bit_ more prepared, than you were, mentally, anyway. _You_ are still in shock."

Bella huffed and went into the family room and turned on the TV. She flipped channels until she came to some game show that we all knew she wasn't interested in. She just wanted something to focus on, other than the remnants of the food battle in the kitchen.

I went over to her and whispered, "You wanna go for a walk?"

She smiled, turning the television off. As soon as we were outside, she thanked me. "I wanted to get out of there so bad, but I didn't want to seem rude. Thank you!"

"Rudeness wouldn't be an issue," I told her, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. "You're pregnant. You can't get in trouble for that."

"True," she admitted, "but I never was this irritable, and I don't like it. I want to get back to who I used to be."

I smiled. She really was an angel.

I suddenly felt the urge to tell her the truth about me, my family, and...and...my sister. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Sure," she replied. "What's up?"


	17. Love

**Bella POV**

I went to bed that night deep in thought. He had been through so much...

I only had to live through my father's death. And Esme and I had known that it was very possible—he was a cop. His job was dangerous. One day, he was called for some jewelry store robbery, and the thief shot him. He had absolutely no chance of surviving. The police force arranged his entire funeral, and even gave him a nice memorial, but I still felt extremely bitter.

And him? He had lost his entire family, and yet he still tried to make things easier for me, when all I did was try and cause trouble for him. I admit, I didn't want him anywhere near me, because I was still mad at him for the incident at the party. But it was as much my fault as it was his, right?

Yet, he still _tried_ to make my life easier. He tried, and I just made things more difficult, for him, for everyone. It was time to grow up. After all, I was going to be a mom. If I didn't start taking responsibility for myself, who would?

---

The next morning, I swung my legs off of my bed without thinking. I was suddenly hit with a wave of nausea, and I swayed before I came to my senses and grabbed one of the posts on my bed the keep my balance.

"Bella, are you up?" Esme knocked on my door.

"Yes," I whispered. I felt so sick.

She opened the door, and touched my forehead. "Are you okay?"

"Very nauseous," I mumbled.

"Oh, honey, I know," she whispered, engulfing me in a hug. "But we're going to the doctor today, and she might be able to suggest something that might help."

"Doctor?"

"Yes, sweetheart, didn't I tell you? Oh, I am getting to be as forgetful as Grandma was! I honestly thought I had told you. Well, now you know, anyways."

She got up from my bed and surveyed my expression again. "Sit for a few minutes, and then come and eat something. You must be starving!"

I nodded. What would happen at the doctor's?

---

Although I was extremely hungry, I refrained from eating much at breakfast, because I was afraid the nausea would come back. The rest of the family kept staring at me, certain I would throw up anyway, even though I was only eating dry toast. Which tasted horrible, by the way. I felt like I was an animal on display at the zoo, the way everyone was staring at me.

"Stop staring at me," I mumbled.

They ignored me. They just tried to be a _bit_ more subtle about how they watched me. I said _tried_. Not 'succeeded.' It was extremely uncomfortable.

"Stop it," I repeated.

Again, not much changed.

"Jeez, would you guys just _stop_!" I yelled. The long awaited nausea finally returned, and I ran to the kitchen sink as quickly as I could. I was not a minute too soon. All the toast came right back up again.

Gentle hands caressed my back as I straightened up again. "It will be okay," Edward said reassuringly, as if he knew how upset I was inside.

"Thank you," I whispered.

Carlisle then took over with his medical experience. "Has the nausea passed?"

"Yes." Thankfully that part was over. Honestly, sometimes, the feeling that you were about to throw up was worse than the actual puking.

"Just take it easy for a while," Esme said softly. "I remember how horrible the morning sickness was when I was pregnant with you."

I nodded slowly, and went over to the sofa and sat down. Edward came by in a few minutes holding one of my favorite books.

"I thought you'd want something to do," he said as he gave it to me.

I opened the book to the first page, but I wasn't able to read anything. I was much too conscious of Edward's eyes still watching over me.

"Am I disturbing you?" he asked, when he realized that I had been staring at the same spot on the page for over a minute.

"No. I'm just...having a hard time focusing."

He nodded, and settled down in the seat next to me.

Long, awkward silence.

After about twenty minutes, during which I had read, literally, two pages, Edward spoke up. "Bella, I'm _so_ sorry."

"For what?"

"I'm sorry for doing this to you. I should never have slept with you, when it was obvious that you had no idea what you were doing. I had a problem, I know that now, and I wasn't in control of myself."

"Didn't you explain all this yesterday?"

"Yes, I did, but after seeing the obvious discomfort you were in today, I feel obligated to tell you this again."

"Edward, you can't keep apologizing whenever something happens to me. My world doesn't revolve around you, you know. Sometimes, things just have to happen a certain way."

"I know, but—"

"Don't blame everything on yourself, Edward. I shouldn't have gotten that drunk, anyway."

"Bella—"

"Shut up, and let me read."

Edward didn't interrupt again. Maybe I was a little too harsh. But I _tried _to be nice. That should count for something, right?

---

I felt someone shaking me gently. "Bella? Bella, honey, wake up."

I turned over. "Mmm...five more minutes."

"Bella, you'll be late for your doctor's appointment."

I opened my eyes slowly, seeing my stuffed animals in a pile next to me.

"How did I get here?" The last thing I remembered was closing my eyes for a couple of minutes in the...living room... I must have fallen asleep.

"You fell asleep," Esme told me, proving my suspicions correct. "Edward brought you in here."

"Right." I got up slowly, hoping the nausea wouldn't make a reappearance. It didn't. Good. I didn't think I'd be able to handle it again.

Esme had lain out some clothes for me to wear. I put them on in a daze, not realizing that my top was backwards and my jean zipper was open. I ran a brush through my hair without really paying attention to it, making it more tangled than before.

I walked out of my room, yawning, but someone turned me around and guided me back into my room.

It was Edward.

He helped my fix my clothes, but he was at a loss when it came to my hair.

"Um...," he said nervously, staring at my hairbrush as if he didn't even know what it was. Considering his messy, yet still sexy, hairstyle, I think it was safe to assume that he didn't.

Luckily, Esme rescued him. She ran the brush through my hair very quickly, pulling at the knots. The jerking motion and the pain...oh, the pain...woke me up very quickly.

"Ow...Mom, stop," I begged.

She ignored me, continuing to try and tame my unruly curls.

"Mom!" I yelled.

She finally stopped tugging at my hair.

"There. Come on, we have to go now. We're going to be late."

When I was sitting in Esme's car, with my seatbelts securely fastened (Mom actually checked to make sure my belt was on. She hadn't done that since I was five years old.), we set off for wherever this doctor was, arriving there twenty minutes later. The waiting room was full of women, some pregnant, some holding small children, and some that were still relatively skinny. Like me. The small bulge that was starting to grow was only visible from certain angles, and if I wore loose clothing, it was completely obscured. The stuff that Esme made me wear was a perfect example. If you didn't tell someone that I was pregnant, he or she would never be able to guess. Now, anyway. If you came back to me two months later, I'm fairly certain it would be a completely different story.

After about another fifteen minutes, we were called inside.

"Hello. I am Dr. Heidi Volturi, and you must be Bella Swan. Am I right?" The doctor's voice was extremely comforting.

"Yeah." I had no idea what to say to her. Did she see many teenage mothers?

The doctor proceeded to ask me a bunch of questions, about general health, morning sickness, and weight gain. I was able to answer all of her questions with ease; however, when she started asking about Edward, I was unable to give much direction.

"Here's Carlisle's phone number," Esme told the doctor, pulling a card out from her purse. "He's a doctor as well, so he should be able to tell you anything you may want to know about Edward's health."

"Thank you." Dr. Volturi smiled. "Bella, would you like to see your baby?"

I knew that it was possible to see an unborn child with an ultrasound, but I hadn't anticipated the feeling that ran through me when I looked at the screen and saw the blurry lines that were my baby.

The doctor pointed out the arms and legs, and then she placed her stethoscope to my stomach.

"Why are you doing that?" I asked.

"Checking its heartbeat," the doctor answered. "Do you want to hear?"

I nodded eagerly. She stuck some kind of plastic over the earbuds before handing them over, and then she rested her stethoscope on my stomach once more.

It was faint, but it was still a heartbeat.

In that moment, I realized, for the first time, that I really _was _responsible for another life. That one day, I would hold a little boy or girl in my arms, and he or she would call me "Mommy." That I had a little baby inside of me at that exact moment.

And I discovered that I _loved_ him or her. I hadn't even met the kid yet, and already I loved it. And I finally understood why Esme was always so protective of me. Why she cared so much. It was part of being a mom.

I exchanged glances with her, and she seemed shocked at the maturity, the understanding, in my expression. I found myself wondering if this was how she felt when she saw me for the first time.

For the first time since I had discovered I was pregnant, I found myself accepting the fact and, to my surprise, _embracing _it. I had not understood what drove Rosalie to do what she did, but now I did. And now that I had finally come to terms with this new addition to my life, maybe I could start to forgive Edward. Maybe we could be friends. Or maybe...something more...

**A/N: It's about time, right! I hope you guys accept my peace offering... Anyway, I'm not sure if you noticed or not, but I changed the rating from 'M' to 'T', because I just don't think things are going to get that explicit. **

**Anyway, if you're looking for something to read while you wait for my next update (which _hopefully_ won't be too long from now...), I would suggest anything by xXxEternallyDazzlexXx. My personal favorite is _Fixing the Impossible_, though the other stories are great too! Just take a few minutes to visit her profile page and see her stories...Trust me, you won't be disappointed. If you like the drama and stuff in here, you'll love her stuff. **

**Now review my story and go read hers! And then review her's too! **

**Au revoir! Until next time!**

**Oh, and Happy New Year!!!**

**~ECROX**


	18. Shield

**A/N: Hi everyone! I'm sorry to say this but I think I have to take a break from writing for a little while. I have another two chapters written for this story, and I will post them in due course, and I have another story all done that I am going to post, but as a result of a very hurtful PM that I received earlier today, I don't know when I will feel like writing anything for this story. **

**I wouldn't have any issues with the message if it only spoke about my writing or my story. I understand that--everyone is entitled to his or her own opino--but this messgae was very rude. It judged me and said hurtful things about me as a person, and I don't think that's fair, because none of you know who I am. You could sit next to me in class every single day, or you could be halfway across the world, but either way, you don't know. And how can you judge someone if you don't know who they are? **

**It felt very degrading to me, as a person, and I really felt upset after reading it. I was actually having a great day until I came across it, but there you go. **

**On a lighter note, I went to see _Remember Me _this weekend. Did any of you guys go? What did you think? Every single time I see one Rob's picture, I see that scene where he's looking out the window of his dad's office in the last ten-fifteen minutes of the movie...And if you didn't go, you definitely should. It was completely worth the ten dollars I paid for my ticket. **

**As always, please review. It would make me feel much better. **

***Bella POV***

Esme was going to leave me at home and then stop at the drugstore to get the vitamin pill things that the doctor had prescribed. I had always hated medicine of all sorts, and I wasn't looking forward to having to take pills every single day. Ugh.

"How was the doctor's appointment?" Edward asked me when I got home.

"It was...wonderful," I told him, pulling the pictures the doctor had given me out of my purse.

Edward's eyes widened as he took them from my hands. "Is that...?" He trailed off, not being able to place the delight in his eyes into words.

I nodded. "What do you think?"

"These are...I mean, I knew you could see pictures, but...I had no idea that they would be this...amazing...to behold."

I smiled eagerly. "It was even more amazing on the screen itself. You could actually see the baby moving. Well, I don't think you would call it moving, but it didn't stay perfectly still the entire time, either."

Edward's expression changed. He now looked kind of...sad.

"Is everything okay?" I inquired.

"Bella," he began, testing out the words. "Bella, do you think I could go with you next time? When you have a doctor's appointment, I mean? I would love to see all this for myself." He sounded terrified. But what could he be scared of? I hope it wasn't me...Well, all things considering, he probably was.

"Yeah, Edward. No problem. I'm sure Esme will be happy to be able to go back to work instead of having to take me to the doctor's all the time."

"She wouldn't mind," he argued. "She would never mind."

"Okay, so maybe you're right," I answered. "But I still don't like to inconvenience her."

"If she doesn't mind, you're not inconveniencing her," Edward replied, exasperated.

I rolled my eyes. "But it's _awkward_," I told him. "Everyone else pregnant there goes in with a guy, whom everyone knows is the dad. Since I go with my mother, it's kind of obvious that I'm a teenager."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Bella, you'll have to get used to that. Pretty soon, it'll be like that everywhere you go."

That smug expression on his face was really starting to bother me. "Yeah? And whose fault is that?" I shot back, angry now.

Edward continued to smile. "It takes two."

"Not when one of them is completely unaware of her surroundings."

"And whose fault was that?" Edward smirked.

"Shut up!" I growled. I knew he wasn't being serious, but it still got on my nerves. Edward just continued to chuckle behind me.

---

Two hours later, Alice and Rose had come over to see the baby pictures, and Emmett and Jasper came with them. I had told them that they had no choice but to come. Even though Edward had already forgiven them for beating him up, for some strange reason, I told them that they still had to beg and grovel at his feet for forgiveness. I knew that Edward would let them off even without the theatrics, but hell, it'd be fun to watch.

"Do you think mine'll look like that?" Rose asked, touching the photographs almost reverently, as if they would crumble into dust if she dared hold them.

"There's only one way to find out, isn't there?" I replied lazily, twirling a strand of hair between my fingertips.

"I'm going on Friday," she said. "I want Emmett to go with me."

"But you haven't told him yet," Alice pointed out. "What are you going to tell him, that you want him to go and hang out in a doctor's office with you, while a lady rubs some cream on your stomach and makes pretty pictures show up on a screen? We all know Emmett is slow, but not _that _slow."

"Maybe you should take Jasper, or ask one of your parents this time," I suggested. "At least you know for a fact that they won't run out on you when you tell them."

"Jasper?" Rose said skeptically. "He'd kill Emmett if I told him now. At least Emmett will be prepared if he knows first. And my parents wouldn't care. They're somewhere in the Caribbean right now. They are _not _going to fly all the way home just to accompany me on a doctor's appointment."

"Then Esme," I said. "She'd be fine with it."

"Bella, I love your mom and all, but I still want to go with Emmett," Rose said firmly. "And I am going to tell him."

"How," Alice asked, amused.

"I'll figure something out," Rose replied. "Trust me."

---

***Edward POV***

Alice, Rosalie, and Bella were all in Bella's room looking at the pictures, leaving me to entertain Emmett and Jasper in the living room.

They had apologized for the 'incident', and I had forgiven them easily. They had been completely justified in beating me up, even if I might have preferred it to be otherwise. After we sat in silence for a while, Jasper brought up the subject of Bella's kid.

"What can the girls be doing in there for so long?" he wondered. "I mean, I thought they only wanted to look at some pictures."

"You know girls," Emmett said. "Who knows why they do what they do."

"I know," Jasper sighed. "Last week, Alice took me on this shopping spree. Half of the stuff she bought she didn't even like!"

"Why did she buy it then?" I asked, curious.

"She saw a whole bunch of shirts that she said were the ugliest things ever made, and that they should have been illegal for anyone to wear, so she bought all of the store's stock on those shirts only so that no one would ever wear them.

Emmett burst out laughing. "Only Alice..." he choked out.

I agreed. "Did she even stop to consider that the store would simply buy more of those shirts from wherever they got them from?"

"No." Jasper sighed. "And what's worse is that she made me hold all of the bags."

Emmett let out a cough that sounded suspiciously like "whipped."

"I am _not_!" Jasper growled.

"I call it like I see it," Emmett replied cockily.

Jasper's answer was to tackle Emmett, where they proceeded to wrestle on the carpet.

"I always knew he was gay," Bella laughed, finally emerging from her room. Rosalie and Alice trailed behind her. Emmett and Jasper quickly untangled themselves and stood up, smoothing their shirts and checking their hair on the TV screen.

"He's not gay," Rose said breathlessly. I didn't really want to know how she knew that.

Alice whispered something to the Bella and Rose and they burst out laughing. Then Rosalie's expression changed from amused and playful to something much more serious.

"Speaking of which," she began, "Emmett can I talk to you in private?"

"Anything you want to say to me, you can say in front of these guys," Emmett said nervously, placing an arm around Jasper and me.

"If you want," Rosalie said, stepping forward, blazing determination in her eyes.

Before she could say what she wanted to say, Emmett fell to his knees. "Rosie. Rosie, baby, please don't break up with me," he begged. It was kind of pathetic.

"I'm not breaking up with you," she said slowly, "but you might break up with me after you hear what I have to say."

Emmett's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"I think we should leave," Bella said, gesturing towards Jasper and me to follow her.

She led us into her room, where we all proceeded to sit on her bed.

"What I wouldn't give to know what Rosalie is telling Emmett right now," Jasper wished. "I mean, I have absolutely no idea, and I _am _her brother."

Bella and Alice exchanged looks. "I think it would be better for the two of you to hear this from us than to hear it from Rose or Emmett later," Bella said.

"So you know?" Jasper asked.

"Yes," Alice answered. "Before we can tell you though, Jazz, you have to promise not to freak out."

"Fine, I promise," he said quickly.

As Bella opened her mouth to speak, Jasper whispered to me, "Why am I getting the feeling I'm not going to like this?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Probably because you're not," I told him.

"Rose is pregnant," Bella said finally. "She got pregnant at Alice's party, the same time as me."

"What!" Jasper shouted. We heard a similar shout coming from the living room.

"Looks like Emmett just found out too," I said nonchalantly.

"How can you be so calm about this?!" Jasper yelled.

"I already knew about it," I answered. I had figured it out after the mini-food fight in our kitchen a while back.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he shouted.

"You never asked," I answered back. With Jasper, I decided it would be best to be as simple as possible.

"Are you saying that Emmett and I were the only ones who weren't told?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah," I replied, playing with one of the cushions on Bella's bed.

"And why weren't we told?"

"You're Rose's brother. Emmett is her boyfriend. You're too emotionally involved." Okay, so maybe I shouldn't have goaded him like that, but it was completely worth it to see the expression on his face. At least before he pounced.

For the second time in as many weeks, I found myself getting beaten up by Jasper Hale. Bella and Alice succeeded in pulling him off of me, and once again, Bella assessed my injuries.

"You're not that badly hurt this time," she decided. "No cuts or anything. And your nose is the same shape it was before, so I think that's fine too."

I smiled. "Thank you, Dr. Swan," I told her. "By the way, when did you get your medical degree?"

"Shut up," she laughed, punching my shoulder. I grimaced.

It wasn't a strong hit, but it was one of the areas that had been pummeled by Jasper only few minutes earlier, so even the slightest touch was incredibly painful.

"Sorry," she whispered. Then she turned on Jasper.

"Jasper, I told you not to do this to him. Emmett might be able to take it, but Edward is more fragile."

Did she just insult me? Jasper appeared to be wondering the same thing.

"So you're saying Edward is weak," Jasper said loudly.

"No," Bella replied. "I'm just saying that he's had to deal with a lot in his life, and he has enough on his plate without you beating him up all of the time."

That left me speechless. I couldn't believe that Bella would go to such lengths to defend me. She went against her friends to protect me. And I knew then that I had to do the same for her.

She would be my shield and I would be hers. No one would dare insult her when I was with her.

**Please review. I would love it. And I'll update again on Friday. Promise. :)**


	19. Consequences

**A/N: Hey guys. I'm sorry if I gave any of you the impression last chapter that I was going to abandon the story, because I'm not. The email was still fresh in my head and it was still hurting. You would too, if someone had called you "a piece of crap" and "a worthless crazy person." But that's all in the past now. Anyway, I **_**will **_**be writing and updating, don't worry. **

**I also want to say thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter. It really made me feel good about myself, and I appreciate it. You guys are awesome!!!**

**So here's the chapter. I actually submitted it last night, but for some reason, when I checked this morning, it still wasn't up, so I had to do it again. And the first couple of chapters from my other story should be up sometime tomorrow. So stay tuned!**

***Emmett POV***

I couldn't believe it! Rose was pregnant? I never wanted a kid—hell, I'm still a kid myself! I couldn't deal with this. And there was something way off in this whole situation. Rose was a hot girl, and she definitely knew about sex and babies and all that crap. I seriously doubted that I was her first. So why did she end up pregnant? And why did she not even feel worried or nervous or even afraid, like Bella?

I voiced this concern, and she told me that I had seen Bella when Bella had first found out. "Of course she was on shock then," Rose had scoffed. "And it was from her first time with sex too, with a guy she barely knew. She wasn't even _aware _that she was having sex at the time."

Okay, if that was how she wanted it. I still sensed something fishy here, so I took my interrogation to the next level.

"What happened to the pill?" I whispered hoarsely. "You said that you were on the pill."

"Accidents happen," was her only reply.

"Why are you telling me now? If you've known about it for all this time, why now?"

"It seemed...appropriate, what with my appointment being on Friday and all."

"Yeah. So you only told me because of the appointment?"

"No. I've wanted to tell you for a while, but I was afraid you'd react like this."

She was really pissing me off now. I knew that I loved my Rosie, but this was just too much. I didn't want a _baby_. Well, maybe one day, but I was still in high school. And I loved Rosie, but honestly, this was just _way _too much.

"Rose, be honest with me. Why are you pregnant?"

"Because we had sex and didn't use a condom!" Rose was mad now.

"But if you were really on the pill like you said, then there really was no need for a condom, now was there?!" I was triumphant. She had messed up. I was right.

"Okay, fine! You want the truth? My entire family is always too busy to spend time with me, so I got pregnant so that once the baby was born, I'd always have someone to love me and spend time with me!" Rose was fuming. "Are you happy now?!"

I could hear Bella, Edward, Jasper, and Alice coming down the hallway, probably curious as to why we were screaming, but I didn't care. Rose's words had torn me down from my temporary high and I was seething with anger.

"And you didn't even ask me before you did this?! Shouldn't I have had a say in this?"

"If you don't want anything to do with it, I'll understand. It's not like I need money or anything. If you honestly want, I can write down that the father is unknown on the kid's birth certificate."

"But I don't want that, Rose! My dad was everything to me growing up. He taught me all the sports I know. He was always there to help me when I had trouble with my math homework. He was the best dad ever. And every single time I look at him, I think that one day, I want to be as good of a dad as he was. But I can't do that if I completely ignore one of my children. Since this whole situation affects me as much as it affects you, I just wish that you had consulted me before getting me into this mess."

I stormed out of the front door then. Maybe it wasn't too mature, but I just needed time to think, time for me. Perhaps then things would make more sense.

***Bella POV***

We could hear Emmett and Rose arguing in the living room and we tried to stay out of it by playing a loud game of poker. Why poker, I honestly had no idea, but the first thing we could find were cards, so...what the hell. Currently, since none of us had any cash on us, we were using whatever we could find in our pockets. I was using a wide variety of hair pins and clips. Edward was playing with marbles and some bits of string. I have _no _idea why he was carrying that around. Alice, as usual, was playing with her multiple credit cards. She had a stack of about fifty cards that she pulled from her purse as casually as if they were quarters. Jasper was betting condoms. Alice blushed when she saw that.

When it was my turn to be the dealer, I had just shuffled the deck when I heard voices in the living room raised much higher than they had been before.

"Okay, fine! You want the truth?" Rose was saying. I gestured to everyone else to listen. This sounded serious.

When she got to the part about not spending much time with her family, Jasper hung his head in shame.

"It's not your fault, Jazz," Alice told him.

"I think we should go check this out," I whispered after a few seconds. This was really not turning out to be a good afternoon. We arrived in time to see Emmett slamming the front door behind him and Rosalie collapsing on a couch, in tears.

"I didn't mean to lose my temper!" she wailed. "It just happened!"

"It'll be okay, Rose," everyone murmured. "It will be fine."

"None of you guys know what this is like," she complained. "Except maybe Bella," she added as an afterthought.

"Everyone out," Alice ordered suddenly. "Rose is right. Bella is the only one who can empathize with Rose to any degree. Let them talk in private." She swept the guys back into the hallway, probably hoping to finish the poker game. Alice had been winning of course. That girl was psychic when it came to cards.

I sat down next to Rose and I rubbed her back gently.

"Hey, girl. What's bothering you?" I asked softly, knowing that there was more to her sadness than Emmett's reaction to the news. We had only known each other for a few weeks now, but we were so close that I felt as if I'd known her my whole life.

"Well, I called Mom a while back to tell her about the baby, remember?" I nodded supportively.

"She called back today."

**Flashback to the Phone Call** (Note: Rosalie's lines are in bold and her mother's are in italics)

**Hello?**

_Hello Rosalie, I got your message. _

**Excuse me, but are you actually **_**calling **_**me for once?**

_That's no way to talk to your mother, young lady._

**I'm sorry, I'll go to my room. **

_Do not take that tone with me! I'm your mother!_

**You've never acted like it. The entire time Jasper and I were growing up, we were with a nanny. You and Dad have never been to even one of our birthdays. I know that you never meant to have me and Jazz; I know we were a mistake. But honestly, if you were just going to live your entire life while pretending we don't exist, then I don't see why you didn't just get an abortion. **

_Your father and I didn't have the money at the time. You know that all our money was inherited from Dad's grandfather's death. _

**So if you had the money, Jasper and I wouldn't be here right now?**

_I don't know. Anyway, that's not the point._

**Then what is?**

_I was calling about that message you left a while ago. How are you _pregnant?

**I had sex and didn't use a condom. Déjà vu anyone?**

_You should have learned from my mistakes. _

**So you're finally admitting that Jazz and I were mistakes. Way to go, Mom. Acceptance is the first step to recovery. Your shrink will be **_**overjoyed **_**with your progress.**

_How are you not even upset? Having a baby in high school is not a feasible option. _

**In case you don't remember, our house is **_**teeming **_**with staff. I'll just have one of the maids become a babysitter instead. No extra cost to you, no trouble for me. Problem solved. **

_We are _not _paying for a babysitter. We are paying for someone to take care of you and Jasper._

**So the lucky gal gets to avoid taking care of two hormonal teenagers like Jazz and me, and gets a sweet little baby instead. I think she's lucky. Don't you?**

_If that's how you want it, I am going to cut you and your brother off. You are both going to be juniors in high school—you're old enough to take care of yourselves. You are to vacate that house by next week, and I don't care where you stay. Since you seem to feel you're old enough to have a baby, you're definitely old enough to live on your own. _

**Fine! I was counting down the days until I could move out anyway!**

_Oh, and one more thing._

**Whatever. **

_From the day you vacate the premises, you and Jasper are not our children. You are never to contact us or associate with us in any way. _

**Gladly! You must be **_**so **_**happy. You finally have an excuse to get rid of me and Jazz. **

_(dial tone from Mrs. Hale)_

**End Flashback**

Rose leaned into the back of the sofa and started talking tears leaking from her eyes with her every word.

"Mom told me that Jasper and I have to leave the house and never come back. She all but disowned us. I'm broke. I have nothing left. She said we have to pack up everything we own by next week. I don't know what to do."

"You were so happy before, Rose. I don't understand." I really didn't. Before she had spoken to Emmett, Rosalie had been her same usual happy self.

"I was hoping that if Emmett was supportive, it would make everything else better."

"I'm so sorry, Rose," I whispered, giving her a hug. "If I could make this better for you I would." Then an idea struck me. "In fact, I _am _going to make this better for you."

She gave me a quizzical look. "What do you mean?"

"I'll tell you later," I replied. If it wasn't possible, I didn't want to lift her hopes up too high. But I was fairly certain it was going to work.

"Did you tell Jasper yet?" I asked, changing the subject.

"No. I was thinking that I'd talk to him after I talked to Emmett, but after the way Emmett reacted, I'm too scared."

"You have to talk to him Rose. And he _will _forgive you. I promise."

"How do you know?" she asked me. "How can you be sure?"

"I _don't_ know," I told her. "But sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith, and trust that someone will be there to catch you. Sometimes that's the only way to move forward."

She nodded slowly. "I don't want to get up. Do you think you can get Jazz to come out here?"

"Of course," I told her, giving her a hug. "Hang in there."

---

Alice had been bugging me to tell her what Rose had told me ever since I had sent Jasper out to talk to Rose.

"It's not my place," I told her over and over again. "I'm sure Jasper will tell you when he finds out though."

Edward was a bit more considerate. Because of his past, he understood how secrets were sometimes necessary. He knew that if Rosalie wanted him to know, she would have told him. A month ago, I wouldn't have even been able to comprehend the thought of Edward being more understanding than Alice, but it had happened. And I had absolutely no idea what to make of it.

Jasper came in a few minutes later, hanging his head. "Rose wants you guys to know what's going on. She asked me to tell you for her."

He then proceeded to tell the same story Rose had told me, except there was something new in there, something that Rosalie had not told me.

"Are you saying that your mother said that she never wanted to have you and Rosalie and that you both were mistakes!" I exclaimed when Jasper was finished speaking.

"Yes, several times, I understand," he answered in a melancholy voice.

I was seething. I mean, I knew that I never intended to have a baby this young, but when he or she grew up I was never going to say that I didn't want to have him or her. The way Mom had always said it, babies were a precious gift. And a gift could never be a mistake as long as it was given with love. And while I never knew it before, I actually _did _love Edward. More than a brother.

Over the last few weeks, I had seen something in him, that I had been very reluctant to admit, even to myself.

Ever since he had told me about Renesmee, his sister, I hadn't been able to stop thinking about his story. About what he had been through. And the strange thing was, I actually understood him to an extent. I remembered how I had felt losing my father, and Edward had lost everyone. It was only now that I realized that I had fallen in love with him. My baby might not have been a product of love when it was conceived, but when it entered the world, I had absolute confidence that it would be loved dearly, not only by family and friends, but by _both _of his parents. And said parents would also love each other.

Then another thought struck me. What if Edward didn't love me back? What if he never really had more feelings for me than pity for his knocked up stepsister. What if that was all we ever would be.

I would never be able to take it. Not after all the expectations I had conjured up.

Maybe I should play it by ear. I could figure all of this stuff out later.

"Bella?" a tentative voice said, very close to my ear. "Bella, are you okay?"

"Edward, maybe you should call your dad," Alice's panicked voice said quickly. "She's been unresponsive for a couple of minutes already."

"She's fine," Edward said confidently. "Her breathing's been fairly constant."

I shook my head. "What's going on?"

"After Jasper answered your question, you sort of...well...your eyes glazed over and...you didn't seem to know what was happening," Edward answered.

"Really?"

Jasper and Alice nodded.

"I'm sorry, I must have spaced out for a minute there."

"It's okay," Edward said. "Happens to the best of us."

"So what were you talking about?"

"Jasper and I were trying to figure out how to make Rosalie feel better. All of this stress isn't good for her."

"I had an idea about that, actually," I announced.

"What?" Alice asked. Naturally curious, she would probably be the one who would enjoy this discussion the most, even though it affected Jasper more.

"Just one second," I told Alice and Jasper, pulling Edward aside.

"What?" he complained.

"Is it okay if I tell them that Carlisle adopted you?" I asked hurriedly. "I won't tell them any more than that, I promise."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever you want, Bella."

"Okay," I said, turning back to Alice and Jasper. "Edward was adopted." I decided it would be best to keep things simple.

Their faces were identical masks of shock.

"Why?" Alice asked after a long, awkward pause.

"His parents died in a car accident. He lived. Carlisle was the one who took care of them at the hospital and then ended up adopting Edward since he had nowhere to go."

"What does that have to do with our situation?" Jasper asked curiously.

"Well, maybe you guys could come and stay here with us."

"Would you really do that for us?" Jasper asked. He sounded awed. "I mean, Rosalie and I barely ever talked to you before you got pregnant, and whenever we did, it usually wasn't ever anything nice."

"It doesn't matter," I told him. "The past is the past, and the present is the present. We're friends now, and friends help each other out."

"Is it okay if I tell Rose?" Jasper asked me. "I think it would be easier on her if she didn't have to deal with this kind of stress now."

I nodded. "No problem."

After Jasper left the room, Edward said softly, "That was very kind of you, Bella."

"It's the least I can do," I replied.

"But it wasn't your fault," Alice argued. "It wasn't your mistake to fix. That makes it that much more of a big deal."

"If you didn't make a big deal of it, then we wouldn't even be having this discussion right now," I told her.

Just then, my bedroom door opened, and Rosalie came rushing inside. " Bella!" she exclaimed. "I don't know how I could ever do this without you."

"It's nothing, Rose," I said, a bit taken aback. "Friends help each other."

"I didn't do anything to deserve this," she said. "You truly _are _an angel!"

I had absolutely no idea why everyone was making such a huge deal. I was just being nice.

I said so, and everybody just rolled their eyes.

"All of us, except for Alice, have been horrible people to you. But you're always nice to us. I don't know anyone else who'd be able to do that," Jasper said kindly.

"Who says Alice hasn't been a horrible person to me," I muttered.

"What do you mean?" Alice asked. Her eyes were hurt.

"You take me shopping, don't you?"

Alice let out a huff of indignation, while Edward, Rosalie, and Jasper rolled their eyes. The tension in the room dissipated almost immediately.


	20. Roommates

***Bella POV***

Rose had left for her house to do all of her packing. She returned with a moving van, full to the brim of boxes, suitcases, and crates.

"Where did you get all that?" I asked in wonder.

"It's not all mine. Some is Jazz's. He wanted to get some money out of our bank accounts before our parents froze it completely, so he asked me to bring his things over."

"Rose, I don't think we have room in our entire _house _for that much stuff."

"I know. That's why Jazz is getting the money. Most of this—" she patted the side of the moving van "—is going into storage. There's just a couple bags in here that I'm going to bring inside."

I nodded. "I'll get Edward. I'm sure he'll be more of a help than me."

When Edward came outside, he was stunned by the size of the van.

"Where does all of this go, exactly?" he whispered to me.

"Into storage. Thankfully."

"What do you want me to get, Rosalie?" he asked in a louder voice.

"Those two duffels there, that box, and those crates." Rose pointed out everything she wanted. "Jazz will get his things himself."

Edward agreed and went to get the bags. As he worked, I couldn't help but appreciate the way his muscles rippled under his pale skin...

Rose lugged a large duffel into the corner of my room. "Where does my stuff go?" she asked.

"I cleared some space in the closet and there's a couple of drawers that I emptied." I pointed at each location as I spoke. "Is that enough?"

Rose looked uncertain. "I don't think so."

"Hey Rose, Bella." Jasper came in from Edward's room. "Are you guys done reorganizing yet? Edward and I just finished."

"Do you have any spare room?" Rose asked urgently.

"Yeah, tons. Why?"

"I don't think we'll have enough space here."

Jasper shook his head. "I knew that you and Bella would never manage to squeeze all your stuff into one room. You couldn't even fit all your stuff into your old room back at Mom and Dad's."

"Shut up," Rosalie muttered. "Just help me move some of this."

An hour later, Rosalie announced that she had _just _managed to fit all of her things into Jasper and Edward's room. "But it's going to be really annoying, having to keep switching rooms whenever I need something from a different bag," she continued.

Esme and Carlisle had arrived home about ten minutes before she made that statement. Esme spoke up now.

"Rosalie, why don't you and Jasper share Edward's room, and Edward can take the extra bed in Bella's room?" she put in. "You and Jasper are twins, so you shouldn't have any issues with sharing a room, and Edward and Bella, well, I don't think there's any more that can be done on that."

I blushed.

"That's actually a really good idea," Edward said.

"Are you okay with it Bella?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah, whatever," I said. It was probably best to be indifferent. It wasn't like I was overjoyed at sharing a room with Edward, but I knew that he would be upset if I shot the idea down, and for some reason, I didn't like seeing him upset.

And that was how I ended up rooming with the father of my baby.

A week later, Angela came over.

"Hi, Bella!" she said happily, as I poured myself some milk. "Esme let me in."

"Hey, Ang!" I said. "I never actually thanked you for coming to the drugstore with me that one time. I really appreciated it, though."

"It was nothing." There was an awkward silence for a couple of moments. Angela broke it by saying, "So, the test came out positive?"

"What makes you say that?"

"I got a message from Lily a couple weeks ago. She got it from Amber, who got it from Casey, who got it from Kate, who got it from Jessica."

"So the whole world knows now."

"Bella, that's not why I came here." At that moment, Edward came out of my room wearing nothing but sweatpants, hanging so low you could see the waistband of his underwear. He stretched, then headed down the hallway, into the bathroom. For some reason, he refused to use the bathroom attached to my room, preferring the one he had used before Jasper and Rosalie moved in. According to him, my bathroom was too "feminine." So, Rosalie and I would share my bathroom and Edward and Jasper would use the other one.

Angela's eyes widened. "Isn't that your room?" she asked in a whisper.

I nodded. Why elaborate? There was going to be gossip anyway.

"Look, I'm not going to judge. I just wanted to tell you that my mom had her twins a couple weeks ago."

"More twins? Don't you already have twin girls at home already?"

"Yeah, Ivy and Fern. But she had a boy and a girl this time. Mom always wanted a boy you know. So she was really happy."

"So tell her congrats from me."

"Again, Bella, that wasn't why I came here."

"Then just get to the point!" I wasn't quite sure why I was so irritable this morning. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that my favorite pair of jeans no longer fit me. And Rosalie had no trouble fitting into any of _her _clothing.

"I told my mom about you, and she said that after her kids became a year old, she would give you one of their cribs. She always moves them to their own beds after a year, because it gets really hard to change their habits afterward. She also said that you would be welcome to any clothing you wanted, or even their car seats. You still have a long way to go, and baby's usually stay with their mother when they first come home, anyway, so by the time your kid is ready to sleep on its own, the twins will be done with their cribs."

I felt a sudden pang of remorse for snapping at Angela earlier. She was actually helping me out a lot. Then I had an idea.

"Does your mother have any plans for the second crib?"

"No, not at the moment. She usually donates old baby stuff to charity, anyway."

"Do you think she could give the second crib to Rosalie?"

"Rosalie? You mean Rosalie Hale?"

"Yeah."

"Why would _she_ need an old crib? Her family's rolling in money. I bet they even _bathe _in it."

I proceeded to explain how and why she and Jasper had been disowned, and Angela agreed to ask her mom if Rose could have the second crib.

"Don't worry about it though. Mom won't mind at all. You can have them both." With that parting comment, she left.

Rose was going to love me.

**A/N: So it's my fifteenth birthday today. I decided I'd give you all an update to celebrate (yay!) Send me some b'day love in the reviews, k? And you'll all get a big slice of birthday cake. (whatever flavor you want!!!) So review! review! review!**


	21. Crazy

***Edward POV***

I had expected that sharing a room with Bella would be awkward, but it wasn't that bad. There were two separate twin beds, pushed against opposite walls, and with a king-sized sheet held up by a string along the centerline of the room, it was almost like having my own space. Of course that was until the midnight mayhem began...

"Edward!" Bella called out. "Can you do me a favor?"

I rolled over in bed and glanced at the LED digits on my clock. "It's two thirty-seven in the morning. Why are you even up?"

"I want pancakes, please!"

"We don't have any frozen pancakes." I was getting really exasperated. "You know I can't cook."

"Well, we have flour, and eggs, and milk, and butter, and all the other stuff you need for pancakes. Make the real stuff! I don't want frozen things, anyway."

How could she be so damn perky at two-fucking-thirty in the morning? I knew she wasn't a morning person.

"Again, I can't cook."

"But I'm hungry."

Of course. What else?

"What do you want?"

"I want homemade pancakes."

"I can't make homemade pancakes."

"But I've seen your chemistry awards. Cooking is just like chemistry, except you can eat what you make."

"And where can I get directions on how to make your precious homemade pancakes?" This girl was really starting to bother me now.

"You can look online, or in one of Esme's cookbooks, or even on the side of the milk carton. There's always breakfast recipes on the milk carton. And hurry up. I'm really, really _hungry_."

And that was how I ended up making pancakes at three in the morning.

"Good morning, Edward!" Bella yelled at seven a.m. the next day. "How are you doing?"

"Horrible, thanks to your midnight hunger crisis," I retorted, pulling my pillow over my head. "Leave me alone."

"Okay!" She turned on her heel and left. I could swear she was a completely different person.

Bella continued to force me to make her food every night for the next few days. The following Saturday, she had wanted pancakes again and I wearily went into the kitchen in search of the frying pan.

I had just finished the first pancake when Jasper wandered into the kitchen.

"So she wasn't lying," he muttered.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"For the last couple of days, Rose has been waking me up at the strangest times, saying that she smells something really good. Two nights ago, it was quesadillas. Yesterday, it was muffins. Tonight, she's been going on and on about pancakes, and she wouldn't let me sleep until I got her some."

"Well, Bella's been forcing me to make her all sorts of food at all hours of the night. I haven't slept uninterrupted since I had my own room. It's so annoying."

"I feel you, man. Rose always was impossible. She's even worse now."

"Edward! Is my food ready yet?" Bella shouted.

"I know I smelled something, Jasper. Where's my food?" Rosalie yelled.

"Hurry up," Jasper whispered to me. "I suck at cooking, and these girls are going to kill us if we don't give them their stuff soon."

"So I heard a bit of a commotion last night," Esme said at breakfast the next morning, a smile playing about her lips.

Bella and Rosalie blushed.

"Rose and Bella were terrorizing me and Edward," Jasper put in. "I haven't gotten any sleep in ages."

"It's going to get worse," Esme said. "Once the babies come, there's going to be no peace at any hour of the day or night."

"What!" I exclaimed. "I can't handle that!"

"You'll have to," Carlisle said matter-of-factly. "You're responsible for that kid for the next eighteen years. Unless you give it up, which Bella has told me she does not want to do."

"If I'm responsible for the kid, don't I get to choose whether or not to keep it?"

"No. That's the mother's decision," Esme replied. "Sorry, Edward. You're out of luck."

"What about you Jasper?" Carlisle asked. "You haven't complained about having to help out Rosalie. It isn't even your kid."

"Rose is my sister. I _have _to help her. And once things get difficult, I can always call Emmett and play the whole father card."

"That's not fair," Edward muttered. "Jasper has it so easy."

"That's because he didn't get anyone pregnant," Carlisle pointed out.

"There's still Alice," Edward mumbled.

Jasper shot him a dirty look.

"What? It's the truth." Edward was quick to defend himself.

"Shut up and eat your breakfast," Jasper muttered.

**A/N: So I know this was short, but I thought it was kind of funny and a nice break from all the drama we've been having so far. I hope you all liked it. Review! **


	22. Preparations

**Hey, everyone! I know it's been a really long time, and you all must hate me for making you wait so long, and I'm sorry. All I can say is that life got in the way. I will do my best to update again quickly, but I am going to need some time to reaquaint myself with the story and get my stride going again. Don't worry. I am definitely going to finish this story. All I'm asking for is a little bit of time... :) I really hope you like it. And I promise to try and have something new up ASAP. **

Chapter Twenty-Two: Preparations

***Bella POV***

It had been several weeks and the midnight cravings had finally subsided. Edward was so thankful, he got me a box of chocolate. What he didn't know was that they were filled with some kind of disgusting cherry thing, making me throw up all over his lap. Cherry made me sick.

"That's the last time I get you anything," Edward had muttered under his breath, while trying to mop up his crotch with a towel.

After I apologized profusely, he relented and got me another box of chocolate, this one filled with lemon. Yum.

I had just eaten the last chocolate, when Esme came with the mail. "Your schedule's are here," she announced, holding four large envelopes in her right hand. Our high school always mailed home schedules, calendars, and forms towards the end of August so that everyone could be ready for the new school year. We were supposed to bring all the completed forms on the first day of school, as well as all the supplies that our teachers wanted us to have.

When the envelopes were passed out, I noticed that Jasper's envelope was thinner than the rest of ours. When we opened the envelopes, it was discovered that Edward, Rose, and I all had a large pink packet which Jasper was missing.

"I think someone forgot to put this in your envelope," Edward commented. Then he saw the heading.

"Bella, have you seen this?" he asked me.

I pulled out my packet and looked at the cover page. _Transfer Form to Alternative School for Teenage Parents_.

"What's this?" Rose exclaimed, who had seen the packet at the same time I did.

"There's a letter on the first page," Edward said, skimming the lines of print. "To put things simply, we are not _required _to transfer, but the school is supposed to give us the transfer form so we have more options."

"Are you going to switch?" I asked Rose.

"Hell, no. I am what I am, and I'm proud."

"Then I'll stay with you," I told her.

It might sound like I was being supportive, but in reality, I was terrified of starting at a new school all by myself. It wasn't like the other students could judge me, though, because we would all be in the same boat, but still. It wasn't something I wanted to get into.

"Come to think of it, how did the school find out that all of you guys were about to become teenage parents?" Jasper asked. "I mean, you guys weren't exactly _advertising _it, right? I can maybe understand Rose and Bella, but the school knew enough to send _Edward _a packet."

"That's because Carlisle told them," Esme said, swooping in to clear away the breakfast tissues. "He wanted to make sure Rose and Bella didn't take gym and the like. He also wanted to make sure that Emmett and Edward would be in the same classes as Rose and Bella, respectively, just in case there was an emergency." She eyed my box of chocolate. "Bella, I don't want you to have sweets for breakfast anymore. You're supposed to eat healthy. It will make this whole thing much easier."

I rolled my eyes and left the table, unaware that I was being followed until I was in my room.

"You don't have to stay at this school, you know," Edward told me, leaning against my open door. "If Rose wants to stay, she can. I'll go with you to the other school."

"But you want to become a doctor, like Carlisle," I protested. "You'll get into a better college if you stay where we are now."

"I still had my dreams and ambitions when I slept with you," Edward said. "I made my bed. Now I have to lie in it."

Against my will, I found myself giggling uncontrollably. "What's so funny?" Edward asked me, looking offended. "Is there something on my face?"

"No," I choked out. "It's just that...you were...talking about sleeping with me...and then you...mentioned...making your bed and having...to lie in it." I could barely speak for laughter.

Edward shook his head. "I should have known," he said solemnly. "With you, it's always stuff like this."

The laughter already passed, I asked Edward something of a more serious note. "But really, why did you sleep with me that night?"

"I don't know," Edward replied, running his hands through his hair. "I thought about that a few days ago, and I think part of it was the whole losing my family thing, and seeing all the family pictures in Alice's house just made me extremely upset. You happened to be there. You looked hot. I had a past in San Diego. One plus one equals two."

He looked up at me and sighed. "But if I had to do it all over, I would never hurt you the way I did."

"I know," I told him boldly. "That's why I decided to forgive you."

The next day, we went out shopping for school supplies. Emmett accompanied us.

"So, Rose, did you get a certain fluorescent packet of papers yesterday?" he asked her, trying to be subtle. He didn't succeed.

"Yes, and I'm not going," she said firmly. "It's all a conspiracy. They want us to go to that school, which is why they sent us a packet in the mail. If they actually _cared_ about us, they would have spoken to us personally and not have given us the packet until we actually mentioned something about wanting to transfer. And since they want us to transfer, I'm not going to."

Wow. She had obviously put a lot of thought into this.

"If you want to go, I still don't mind," Edward whispered to me.

"Yeah, I think I'll stick with my original decision," I replied.

"But if you _do _change your mind, I'm right behind you."

After what he'd said to me earlier, this wasn't much of a shock. But when I thought back to the hostility I'd felt toward Edward when I first met him, after Alice's party of course, I could see that we'd come a long way. I knew I definitely cared for him, and he for me. I wasn't completely sure how deep the connection was, but I was certain I wanted to find out.

I glanced at my list. The school had sent home all of our schedules and each of our teachers had enclosed a list of supplies and rules for their classes. I had Biology, Music, and English with Edward, and French, Trig, and World History with Alice. I also had two free periods—one that was given to every student, and a second to take the place of Gym. One of my study periods was with Emmett, the other with Jasper.

As it turned out, Carlisle had pulled some strings to make sure that Rosalie and I had someone familiar with us in all of our classes. He had also gotten us all into the same lunch. "Just in case something happens," he had explained. "I hope this is just me being overprotective, but it's still good to be prepared." It had been difficult, though, to fiddle with our schedules like this since Rosalie would be a senior and I would be a junior. Study periods and Gym were mixed grades, so there really were no issues there, but all of the other classes were much more difficult to change.

"There's that calculator we need for Trig," Alice pointed out. The calculator looked like every other calculator on display. I couldn't understand why the teacher wanted a specific one, but it was needed, so I put one in my cart and then turned and headed over to the stationary section of the store. I needed a new pen and some more notebook paper.

"Ooh, can we get the heart-shaped Post-its?" Emmett begged Rosalie. They were standing at the end of the aisle, examining the store's colossal collection of tiny, square-shaped pieces of paper. Well, most of them were square, anyway. What Emmett just said contradicted the traditional description of a Post-it, but who really cared anyway?

"You look deep in thought," Jasper said, two rolling backpacks in tow.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just...I don't know why...I keep on thinking about the strangest things."

"Like what?" Jasper looked amused.

"Well, right now, I was debating the merits of square-shaped Post-its versus heart-shaped ones."

"Why Post-its?" Jasper wanted to know. "You're looking at pens. The Post-its are over by Rose and Emmett."

"It's...complicated," I replied, laughing. Jasper smiled too.

"Listen, Edward and I found these bags and we agree that you and Rose should both have rolling backpacks this year."

"Why?"

"It's less strain on your back. There were a few colors, but I thought you'd like the purple best—it's the color of your room—and I got Rose the black one because she always likes her bags to be black—that way, they match all of her outfits."

I pulled the bag from him and looked it over. It _was _a nice color, and it had plenty of space for the million textbooks I knew we'd get... "That's a really good idea, Jazz, thanks."

"Edward picked yours out," he replied. "You should thank him." He pulled the black backpack behind him as he went to the end of the aisle. "I'll just go show this to Rose."

I nodded and went to find Edward. He was looking at pencils. "Thank you for the backpack," I told him. "I never would have thought of that."

"I know," he said, smiling an adorable crooked smile. "That's why I did."

"How much more stuff is there?" I asked him, tugging my papers from his hand. He had insisted on keeping my lists with him, because in his words, I would probably manage to trip over something and drop the papers in a puddle. After I pointed out that we'd be inside, he told me that I would find a way to fulfill his prophecy. So what if I lost my papers? Him and Alice had copies. But, stubborn as always, I lost that argument.

"Ow, Bella, watch it." Edward pulled away, squeezing the tip of his index finger.

"Why?"

He only had to show me a razor-thin red line on his finger before I started to feel nauseous.

"What's wrong?" he asked, looking concerned. "Your face just turned green."

"I don't do so well with blood," I answered, focusing on keeping my breathing steady. "Keep your finger in your pocket, please."

"Bella, it's a paper cut, not a bullet wound or something. There's nothing there and the bleeding will stop in a second. You're going to be fine." I think he was trying to convince himself more than me.

By now, I could feel a crowd gathering around us. That wasn't good. I was claustrophobic, too.

"Edward, can you get Alice or Jasper to take me to the car because you still have blood on your hands?" I said slowly. "I think some fresh air and music would be good."

"Of course," he promised. "Jasper's just in the next aisle. I'll call him."

"Jasper!" I heard him shout. "Hurry up. I think she's about to pass out."

"Too many people," I mumbled, feeling more dizzy by the second.

"Okay, people, disperse," Edward said even more loudly. "She needs air."

"Who needs air?" I heard a familiar voice say scornfully. Through the crack in my eyelids, I saw Jessica Stanley push her way into the front of the crowd. "Well, if it isn't the pregnant girl and the guy who knocked her up. Or should I call him her...um, I don't know..._brother_?" she crowed. "Because both descriptions would be true, you know." She continued to talk, announcing my life story to everyone in the store, and I could sense the crowd was getting larger.

That was my last thought before everything went blank.

**Would it be too much to ask for a review after the long wait?**


End file.
